Quebec Wants to Ban Religious Face Coverings for Government Workers

In its latest quest for "religious neutrality", Quebec is taking another run at making it illegal for both government employees and members of the public to wear religious face coverings in government service offices.

The legislation, tabled Wednesday at the Canadian province's legislature by the ruling Liberal party, aims to promote "adherence to State religious neutrality" by mandating that government services be provided to and by people with uncovered faces.

"We are convinced the way we are approaching this is respectful and will be a plus for society," said Quebec Justice Minister Stéphanie Valée at a news conference on Wednesday. "We don't judge people for their beliefs or absence of beliefs."

Canada's federal multiculturalism minister declared his support for Quebec's bill, telling reporters on Wednesday that the federal government will table a similar bill at Parliament later this week that will require people to remove any face coverings during citizenship ceremonies.

While the Quebec bill does not specifically mention burkas or niqabs, the proposed law would mean that the Muslim women who wear them would not be allowed to offer or receive public services.

Exceptions to the law include people who have to cover their face because of certain "working conditions or because of occupational or task-related requirements," according to the bill.

The bill goes on to state that an accommodation can be made for those who wear religious face coverings but the request "must be refused if the refusal is warranted in the context for security or identification reasons or because of the level of communication required."

But Alia Hogben, executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, sees things differently.

"It's a racist move on their part that focuses on a few women who cover their faces," Hogben told VICE News. "Focusing on women's clothing is fundamentally wrong and it makes it more difficult for Muslim women to integrate, find work, to become Canadians. It's very tiring."

She says the newest legislation, Bill 62, is very similar to legislations proposed by previous Quebec governments that have failed.

Related: Harper's Vow to Ban the Niqab During Citizenship Ceremony A Likely Election Issue

In 2010, the province's previous Liberal government tried to bring in almost identical legislation, which was not passed.

In 2013, the Parti Québécois (PQ) government introduced a "secular values" charter bill that sought to restrict all "conspicuous" religious symbols worn by government employees, including the large crosses, turbans, kippahs, and headscarves. It also proposed to make it mandatory for anyone providing or receiving public services to have their face uncovered. After months of outcry and campaigns against it, the bill died when the PQs were voted out in 2014.

For Robert Leckey, a law professor at McGill University in Montreal, this new bill is different from the Parti Quebecois' legislation because of its explicit desire to preserve Quebec's religious cultural (Catholic) heritage.

"This one is focused on Muslim women," he told VICE News. And it could have wide-reaching unintended consequences. "Would this law, for example, discourage someone from applying for a job with the government even if she would get an exception if she asked? Possibly. The law sends all sorts of messages out distinct from its enforceable legal content."

Leckey said the bill has come at a tense time for Quebeckers, pointing to the recent cases of young Muslims from Montreal allegedly trying to flee the city for the Middle East to fight with the so-called Islamic State.

Another bill also tabled Wednesday by Quebec's justice minister seeks to combat extremism in the province by giving the province's human rights commission broader powers to investigate hate speech, according to the Globe and Mail. The proposed legislation would also allow the province's education minister to investigate suspected radicalization among students.

Follow Rachel Browne on Twitter: @rp_browne