Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - March 2010
The government of Quebec has proposed a bill that would require all women to remove their face-covering niqabs when seeking out government services.
Bill 94, which was presented in the National Assembly this week, was drafted in the wake of recent controversy over the expulsion of a female immigrant student from French-language classes due to her refusal to remove her veil.
The Government has taken a hard-line approach to the issue since it arose in the media earlier this month, with Immigration Minister Yolande James publicly supporting the college’s decision to expel the student on the grounds that instructors need to be able to view a student’s pronunciation in order to effectively help them.
Since last year, the issue of accommodation has been a particularly volatile one in Quebec, after several similar incidents prompted the Bouchard-Taylor commission on “reasonable accommodation.” With their move this week, the government is looking at cracking down.
"If you are someone employed by the state and you deliver a service, you will deliver it with your face uncovered," he told reporters in Quebec City. "If you are a citizen who receives services, you will receive them with your face uncovered."
The new law would apply to all government corporations and organizations, as well as publicly-funded services, including schools, hospitals, and daycares.
Critics on both sides are speaking out, with some arguing that the proposed bill does not go far enough, and should banish government employees from wearing any religious symbols. Others say that the legislation is too harsh and will likely be challenged as a violation of civil liberties.
The government argues that it is simply sending a message to immigrants about Quebec’s separation of church and state and the equality between men and women.
"Quebec opens its doors to new arrivals as they are, but they must equally agree to adopt the values of Quebec society," said the province’s Immigration Minister Yolande James.
Source: National Post
