Alexander Panetta, The Canadian Press Published Tuesday, February 25, 2014 1:37PM EST Last Updated Tuesday, February 25, 2014 4:26PM EST

WASHINGTON -- Canada's ambassador for religious freedom, Andrew Bennett, says an attempt to discuss human rights in Turkey prompted that government to throw Quebec's controversial values charter back at him.

Bennett stressed that Turkey has made notable strides towards religious freedom in recent years. For example hijab-wearers are now allowed into public buildings.

However, Christian, Jewish and Alevi minorities continue to have concerns, including the expropriation of religious property.

He said he raised those concerns during a visit last fall and the reply came: Well, what about Quebec?

But Bennett said that's the only time a foreign official has raised the charter with him since he took up the post created by the Harper government a year ago.

Because his mandate does not involve domestic issues, Bennett said he can't offer a personal opinion of the Quebec legislation that would bar people who wear hijabs, turbans, yarmulkes and large crucifixes from working in the public sector.

But he does reject any attempt to compare the persecution of minorities abroad with what's happening in Quebec.

"People in countries overseas where religious freedom is being violated are being imprisoned, tortured, killed because of their faith," Bennett said in an interview during a trip to Washington.

"In Canada, we have the courts. We have the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. ... We can advance religious freedom overseas because we enjoy it in Canada. So that's the approach that I take."

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Canada's Religious freedom ambassador confronted by Charter of Values