Oh well now... the story is about Quebec. this is nothing new for Quebec whose idea of religious freedom is the right to ask permission of the “authorities”. In French of course, moansewer.
People tend to forget that Quebec is populated mostly by French people whose forebears came here at a time when it was necessary even in France under an extremely Catholic King (Louis XIV) for a church to get the permission of the government to parade from the Sanctuary to the graveyard.
France was as bad under that regime as it had been in the 1100 to 1500 period ~ and though folks might think the RC church was paramount, all the priests were nobles' sons, and the Kings named the bishops, and Cardinals were ordinarily wealthy married men who were also cousins of the royals.
The heirs of Hugh Capet OWNED IT ALL!
I doubt it ever occurred to a Quebecer that you can do religion on your own without a government permit ~ why would it be otherwise?