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A conference paper on the political and legal aspects of laicism in Québec and France is presented. It defines the concept of laicism, comments on the separation of Church and State, and discusses the fear of communitarianism, the erosion of common values, and the threat to democracy. Additional topics include liberty of conscience and equality, reasonable accommodation and State neutrality, and the contributions of religions to social tolerance.

A conference paper on the evolution of laicism in Québec from 1760 to circa 2012 and the teaching of laicism in Québec's public schools is presented. It discusses Québec's transition from a clerical to a secular historiography after 1947 and the influence of the Catholic Church. Further topics include the founding of the Mouvement laïque de langue française (MLF), or the French language secularism movement, in April 1961, the emancipation of women, and the involvement of the Québec government.

A conference paper reflecting on the legislative bill for a secularism charter in Québec initiated by the political party Parti Québécois (PQ) is presented. It offers four reasons speaking against the need for such as charter. Further discussions include political philosophy, the separation between the State and the Catholic Church, the PQ's argument for such a charter, the concern over a hierarchy of fundamental rights, and the wearing of religious symbols by public employees.

A conference paper analyzing the history of the relationship between families and politics in Québec is presented. It discusses the six types of family structures according to French demographer Emmanuel Todd, including the egalitarian nuclear family, and the British Empire's differentialist colonial philosophy compared to the French Empire's universalist and assimilation philosophy. The political differences between Québec's Montréal and Québec regions are also noted.

The closure of Université de Moncton's sociology department in the spring of 1969 constitutes a unique event in the history of Canadian academics. In this paper, the authors examine the causes behind this closure. They present an intermingling and collision of motivations of different actors and movements in Acadian academic life during the late sixties: student associations, the young sociology professors, the professors association, the university administration, etc. Beyond being simply a historical anecdote, the closing of the sociology department symbolizes a larger political crisis, where two social conceptions compete: the administration envisaged a rational administration of the social, while the sociology students and professors wished for a society based on socialist and participative principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]