Lawmakers in Quebec, Canada bar people with face coverings from getting public services

Lawmakers in Québec; a predominantly French-speaking province in eastern Canada passed a bill yesterday that would require public workers and citizens seeking government services to have their faces uncovered.

Bill 62 would affect whether Muslim women could wear religious face covering such as a niqab or burqa on government jobs or when they receive government services.

The bill needs the lieutenant-governor's assent to become law in the province. "We are just saying that for reasons linked to communication, identification and safety, public services should be given and received with an open face. We are in a free and democratic society. You speak to me, I should see your face, and you should see mine. It's as simple as that" said Premier Philippe Couillard of Quebec.

Bill 62 was sponsored by Quebec Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée, who said people's faces should be uncovered for "communication reasons, identification reasons and security reasons. As long as the service is being rendered, the face should be uncovered,"

Vallée said Bill 62 doesn't specifically target religious symbols, as the law would also apply to masked protesters. "We're talking about having the face uncovered. It's not what is covering the face," she told the CBC.