Quebec Passes Law Banning Facial Coverings

In the first such instance in North America, the Canadian province of Quebec has passed a sweeping ban on face coverings, barring public workers from wearing the niqab or burqa and requiring citizens to unveil when receiving government services, including when attending subsidized schools or even while riding public transit. Whereas the law was meant to address the issue of “state neutrality,” critics argue it deliberately targets Quebec’s growing Muslim population. Provincial Premier Philippe Couillard justified the law, saying “that for reasons linked to communication, identification and safety, public services should be given and received with an open face.” The legislation does stipulate exemptions for those who provide spiritual care or religious instruction as well as in cases where workers may be exposed to hazardous materials. It comes after two failed attempts by authorities in Quebec to enforce secularism in the public domain, most notably an attempt by the previous government to ban all public workers from wearing visible religious symbols—an initiative widely panned by all religious denominations. Quebec now joins various European countries that have passed similar legislation, the most recent being Austria where a ban on full face coverings took effect on October 1.