Call Bill 62 what it is — bigotry
Based on the volume of media coverage — worldwide — and domestic debate, you could be forgiven for thinking Quebec’s controversial ban on face coverings for anyone giving or receiving public service is driven by events. You might think hospital emergency rooms, social service offices and public transit are overrun with people whose faces are covered.
You might think that, but you’d be wrong. Statistics Canada tells us there are 114,000 Muslim women in the province. However, veiled women represent a tiny fraction of that number. Experts on the matter say the number of women wearing full face coverings is around 100.
Bill 62, just passed by the Quebec legislature, bans government employees at all levels from wearing a face covering on the job. It also bans face coverings for anyone receiving government services. Sitting in a hospital waiting room? Waiting for family counselling? Seeing a school guidance counsellor? Riding on a bus or any other form of public transit? No face covering. Period.
Justice Minister Stephanie Vallee insists the new law does not target Muslim women. It would also apply to bandanas and sunglasses, she says by way of proof. We look forward to the day Montreal commuters are ordered to remove their sunglasses, but don’t hold your breath.
The plain truth is that Premier Philippe Couillard’s government is going after Muslim women who choose to wear a burka or niqab. And they have average Quebecers behind them. Polling shows 80 per cent of the population supports Bill 62.
But this isn’t about identity politics, Couillard exclaims. It’s about ensuring Quebec has a secular society. And don’t mind the giant Christian cross mounted on wall of the legislature. That’s a cultural, not a religious symbol, and therefore exempt. Convenient, non?
This law goes far beyond accommodation. It veers solidly into intimidation territory. It is entirely reasonable for someone who wants a health card or driver’s licence to lift her face covering in order to confirm identity. There are no records of Muslim women objecting to that, just as there are no examples of new Canadians wearing a burqa or niqab objecting to showing her face before taking the oath of Canadian citizenship, which they can do with faces covered. This law is much more than that. It targets a small number of innocent Muslim women, and will certainly expose them to humiliation, discrimination and abuse.
This odious law will be challenged, and if there is any justice, it will be struck down. It is systemically discriminatory which is clearly forbidden under the Charter of Rights. This law is not about secularism, except of the most selective kind. It must be called what it is: bigotry and xenophobia, writ large.