Is atheism in a distinct category of its own?
Religion seems to be a pretty global thing - with much variety and personal choice.
When one chooses a particular religion for him/herself, it is basically a withdrawal from all other religions to varying degrees. Atheism is also a withdrawl from religions - to no religion. (If religion is understood to be fundamentally theistic). Even humanism, nationalism and other things seem to be quasi-religious.
Is it possible, if religion includes non-theistic beliefs/values (such as of nationalism, humanism, libertarianism, satanism?, etc.), for significant numbers of people to function without any subtle expression of their belief system? And more importantly, is it realistic/practical?
To ask someone to supress their religious ideology/values/expression is basically to ask them to adopt other ideologies/values/expressions in their life. Is it the place of the state to do this?
I don't think there is an easy "solution" or practice which effectively allows state/religion separation, without the state basically encroaching into religious areas.
On the one hand you might have a situation where a state arbitrarily chooses one religion as its single public profile; on the other hand, you have a situation where a state chooses to suppress all religion from its public profile. Both processes are virtually identical in their method and result: the state intrudes into areas which are personal and in which it has no competence to direct prescriptively.
The third option is one in which the state allows freedom of religious expression among all its citizens in all their activities - and this mostly happens around the world. I think this attitude is preferable to the others at present, so I disagree with the Canadian/Quebec decision.