Canada: Quebec to vote banning of face veil in public
Rights activists have criticised Bill 62 stating it as Islamophobic and anti-Muslim.
(Web Desk) – Canada’s largest province Quebec is set to vote on ban of face veil in public. Rights group have criticised this proposed legislation that would prohibit people wearing face coverings in Quebec, while they are to receive public services.
Activists have termed it as “Islamophobic and anti-Muslim”.
According to Al- Jazeera, the bill on banning face veil is expected to be voted on next week. If the bill is passed individuals working in government jobs, and people receiving public service are to show their face, prohibiting all garments that cover the face.
Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) stated, "This is nothing new; there is certainly offensive deja vu that we have seen this debate for 10 years in Quebec, and more broadly in Canada."
Gardee states that he has observed a significant rise in anti-Muslim sentiment and islamophobia throughout Canada. Photo: cfe.ca
Bill 62 came forward for the first time in 2015, but it did not create momentum in parliament.
Recently, liberal Minister of Justice Stephanie Vallee proposed amendments to the bill at the National Assembly.
Vallee said that the proposed legislation "establishes the neutrality of the Quebec government and its institutions" with the objectives of ensuring effective communication, necessary identification and security.
Liberal Minister of Justice Stephanie Vallee proposed amendments to the bill at the National Assembly. Photo: Canadian Press
It remains unclear how the bill would be implemented and specific cases it would apply to, but Muslim communities fear it would prohibit women from face coverings not only in government buildings but it might also affect them on public transit.
Experts and rights organisations have called the bill "racist", "Islamophobic" and "discriminatory", asserting that it is an "invented a solution for a made-up problem".
According to studies conducted by NCCM, the majority of Muslim women in Canada do not cover their faces, and of those who do so, only a small minority wears the niqab, or the full body and face covering.
However, Gardee said the NCCM has "observed a significant rise and increase in anti-Muslim sentiment and islamophobia" throughout Canada.
He added that from 2012-2015, there was a 253 percent increase in reported hate crimes against Canadian Muslims.
Bill 62, which has been dubbed by some as the "Burqa Ban", does include a clause that allows individuals to request an exemption for religious reasons.
Critics argue, however, that it is unclear how the process for such exemptions would be analysed and implemented, reported Al Jazeera.
Shane Martinez, a social justice and human rights lawyer believes the bill will pass and called it “sad and ironic” and added "(it) serves to play off of nationalism and exploit ignorance for the sake of political gains, mirroring what’s happening south of the border in the US and a throwback to what happened in France seven years ago" when the European country banned the face veil.
He added that the bill and its clauses are "blatant violations of Quebec and Canadian Human Rights and Freedom Charters" and will "most likely be defeated in court".
Emmett Macfarlane, a political science professor at the University of Waterloo, said the bill is "a perversion of secularism because inherently it is not neutral".
"It is actually targeting specific religious practices and neutral would be allowing people to practice their religion as they see fit. This is the opposite of neutrality,"
"It is blatantly discriminatory."
There have been several attempts to ban face coverings in Quebec in recent years, but none have been successful.
The final draft of Bill 62 will first be debated in the National Assembly before voting takes place.
