This project uses text analysis to evaluate how the discursive justification for invoking the notwithstanding clause (Section 33) has evolved in Quebec since 1982. Focusing on Bill 21 (An Act Respecting the Laicity of the State), we examine whether contemporary debates represent continuity with Quebec’s secular nationalist tradition or a departure toward explicitly Islam-focused discourse.

By comparing media coverage and legislative debates surrounding Bill 21 to earlier Section 33 invocations (Bill 178, Bill 96), we measure the relative salience of Islam-related terminology against broader secularism and nationalism frames.