The MR group wants to guarantee clear, uniform and visible neutrality throughout the federal civil service. A goal the MR has pursued for twenty years, in full keeping with the Arizona government agreement.
The LIGNE bill (Individual Freedoms Guaranteed by State Neutrality), put forward by MR federal MPs Daniel Bacquelaine, Catherine Delcourt and Denis Ducarme, aims to establish a clear rule: the ban on visible religious, philosophical or political symbols for all staff of the federal public services.
For twenty years, the MR, sometimes standing alone against everyone else, has defended the establishment of a clear and unambiguous legal framework to protect equal treatment, safeguard citizens' trust in the State, and combat communitarianism.
For federal MP Daniel Bacquelaine, main author of the bill: “neutrality is not an option but a fundamental guarantee in a state governed by the rule of law. With this text, we are finally offering a stable, modern and protective framework for every citizen. ”
“In a neutral State, the user must be able to enter a public service without ever doubting the equality of treatment they will receive. Indeed, it is not enough to be impartial; one must also appear impartial, which is self-evident,” explains Catherine Delcourt.
The MP points out that, despite constitutional references and case law, the current framework remains too vague: “The principle of neutrality is still not sufficiently explicit in the law with regard to its practical application in the civil service. Our text finally creates a clear, uniform and enforceable rule.”
State neutrality will prevail if everyone respects the government agreement
This proposal is, moreover, in perfect keeping with the Arizona government agreement, which states that every citizen has the right to services that are neutral and perceived as such, and provides for the introduction of a dress code to objectively guarantee this neutrality:
| Everyone is entitled to neutral, high-quality services from the federal government. This means that citizens perceive the service as neutral at every point of contact. It is up to the responsible manager to guarantee this neutral, high-quality service within their own departments. In this context, the government, after analysis and consultation with senior civil servants, will introduce a uniform or dress code. |
Page 73 of the government agreement
“We defend a universal application of neutrality, directly in line with the government agreement,” adds federal MP Denis Ducarme. “This is a battle liberals have fought for more than 20 years, which I carry forward together with others and which is finally about to succeed, provided every partner respects the government agreement! By defending our proposal, we are opening the debate at parliamentary level and calling on Minister Vanessa Matz to join us without delay by submitting a bill that transposes the government agreement!”