The discourse on secularism during the debate on the Quebec Charter of Values. Lexicometric analysis of Quebec’s francophone press
The reasonable accommodation crisis (2006–2008) thrived on “incidents” to render the visibility of religion in the public space as problematic. However, the controversy surrounding the draft Quebec Charter of Values (2012–2014) was initiated and then orchestrated by the political power in place then, above and beyond the characterized “incidents.” Starting from a lexicometric analysis of news and editorial articles published in the Quebec francophone press during this debate, this article traces the lexical territories and profiles around which the journalistic production that mobilized the concept of secularism revolved. The article highlights, from an analysis of the editorial positions of three major Quebec dailies, how this concept has essentially been reduced, in its media coverage, to the modalities for regulating individual expression of religious beliefs.