http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...ing-muslim-bill-62-stephanie-vallee-1.4367431
'It's not a coercive law,' Quebec says amid criticism over face-covering ban
Province has no plans to establish patrol unit to ensure compliance, official says
By Benjamin Shingler,
CBC News Posted: Oct 23, 2017 1:54 PM ET Last Updated: Oct 23, 2017 2:54 PM ET
Warda Naili, a Muslim woman, poses for a photograph on a city bus in Montreal on Saturday. Quebec's new law on religious neutrality requires people to uncover their face to access public services, though how that will be enforced remains unclear. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)
The Quebec government's new face-covering law will be approached with "common sense," a spokesperson for the province's justice minister says, amid criticism, protests and confusion over how the rules will be applied.
Isabelle Marier St-Onge said the provincial government has no intention of establishing a patrol unit to ensure compliance with the legislation, which effectively prohibits a Muslim woman wearing a niqab or burka from accessing public services.
"It's not a coercive law," Marier St-Onge said in an email, adding that there are no sanctions listed in the legislation for those who don't comply.
Generally speaking, she said, the government wants people to uncover their faces when they receive a public service but, she stressed, "we will apply common sense."
The rules are for communication, identification and security reasons, and will only apply when deemed necessary.