That can’t be true, and it’s one sign among a few others (the article is generally fair) that Macleans – Canada’s leading magazine – reflects non-Quebec social attitudes. Plenty of non-deists are spiritual; we’re talking about religion here.
A large majority of Quebecers indeed opposes hijabs and other religious garb in the public sphere (schools, courts), and restrictions on this garb are currently in place there. As one supreme court decision put it:
[C]itizens should not be able to perceive any religious influence in state services, and … when a government representative is exercising their function, they are no longer a private citizen. Their first duty is to state neutrality, not their private beliefs.
In a few months, the supreme court will revisit Quebec’s secularity bill, and it should be interesting. Issues going to the degree of Quebec’s autonomy are in play here; but more than that, opposition to face covering, for instance, is 76% in Quebec and not far behind (65%) in Canada overall; and though I can’t find federal numbers on the hijab, it looks as though at least half the country would probably follow Quebec.