Answers to some key questions on Quebec's face-covering law
[FONT=&]Quebec's Bill 62, requiring people to show their faces when they give or receive public services, became law this week.
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[FONT=&]The new law applies to a wide array of public institutions — from hospitals to libraries — and has elicited a groundswell of criticism.
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[FONT=&]There are also a lot of questions about how the law will work.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Here are some answers:
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[FONT=&]Can municipalities or transit agencies get an exemption?
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[FONT=&]The decision to include municipalities and transit agencies in Bill 62 was a deliberate one on the part of the Liberal government. Those bodies were added to the proposed legislation last August.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, several municipalities, including Montreal and Quebec City, are adamantly opposed to being included in the law.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) said in a news release Friday it thinks municipalities should be exempted.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The government has made no move to do so.
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[FONT=&]Could some organizations simply not enforce the law?
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[FONT=&]The law states the highest authority in every organization is responsible for making sure that it is enforced.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, the law doesn't set out any consequences for organizations or employees who do not follow it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]This is expected to change. The province plans to include penalties for failure to comply when it adopts regulations as to how the law will be applied by July.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Several transit agencies, including those in Montreal and Gatineau, have said they will not enforce the ban until the guidelines for how the law is to be implemented are ready.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]What will happen to people who wear a balaclava or a winter scarf when they get on the bus?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Quebecers may have to get through a winter before the guidelines on how to deal with situations such as this are ready. The government has given itself until next July to adopt those guidelines.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Meanwhile, Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée has refused to speak about specific scenarios.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, the law as it is worded appears to allow transit users to cover their face while waiting at a bus stop, but require them to remove their face covering after they board.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]What happens when a woman wearing a niqab goes to the hospital?
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[FONT=&]A woman who wears a niqab, burka or other face covering will be expected to reveal her face when she undergoes a medical examination.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Requests made by men or women to be treated by a doctor of their own gender are already being systematically refused, Health Minister Gaétan Barrette explained earlier this week.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, Barrette said the situation is "fuzzy" when it comes to how hospital staff at the reception desk should handle patients with a covered face when they walk into an establishment.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]"We are all waiting for those directions," the health minister said.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]What happens if a person refuses to take off their face covering?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]That's not yet clear.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Instructions on how an employee is supposed to react will depend on the circumstances, says the justice minister's spokesperson, Isabelle Marier St-Onge.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]- EXPLAINER | What you need to know about Quebec's religious neutrality legislation[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The provincial guidelines coming out by next July are supposed to outline how public service workers should deal with various specific situations.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Will doctors be allowed to wear surgical masks? Will police officers in riot gear be allowed to wear face shields?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Quebec's workplace safety standards will still apply, despite the religious neutrality legislation, the justice minister's spokesperson said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Workers will still be required to wear the necessary equipment to protect themselves and others, said Marier St-Onge.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Quebec's Bill 62, requiring people to show their faces when they give or receive public services, became law this week.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The new law applies to a wide array of public institutions — from hospitals to libraries — and has elicited a groundswell of criticism.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]There are also a lot of questions about how the law will work.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Here are some answers:
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Can municipalities or transit agencies get an exemption?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The decision to include municipalities and transit agencies in Bill 62 was a deliberate one on the part of the Liberal government. Those bodies were added to the proposed legislation last August.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, several municipalities, including Montreal and Quebec City, are adamantly opposed to being included in the law.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) said in a news release Friday it thinks municipalities should be exempted.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The government has made no move to do so.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Could some organizations simply not enforce the law?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The law states the highest authority in every organization is responsible for making sure that it is enforced.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, the law doesn't set out any consequences for organizations or employees who do not follow it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]This is expected to change. The province plans to include penalties for failure to comply when it adopts regulations as to how the law will be applied by July.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Several transit agencies, including those in Montreal and Gatineau, have said they will not enforce the ban until the guidelines for how the law is to be implemented are ready.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]What will happen to people who wear a balaclava or a winter scarf when they get on the bus?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Quebecers may have to get through a winter before the guidelines on how to deal with situations such as this are ready. The government has given itself until next July to adopt those guidelines.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Meanwhile, Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée has refused to speak about specific scenarios.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, the law as it is worded appears to allow transit users to cover their face while waiting at a bus stop, but require them to remove their face covering after they board.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]What happens when a woman wearing a niqab goes to the hospital?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]A woman who wears a niqab, burka or other face covering will be expected to reveal her face when she undergoes a medical examination.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Requests made by men or women to be treated by a doctor of their own gender are already being systematically refused, Health Minister Gaétan Barrette explained earlier this week.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]However, Barrette said the situation is "fuzzy" when it comes to how hospital staff at the reception desk should handle patients with a covered face when they walk into an establishment.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]"We are all waiting for those directions," the health minister said.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]What happens if a person refuses to take off their face covering?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]That's not yet clear.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Instructions on how an employee is supposed to react will depend on the circumstances, says the justice minister's spokesperson, Isabelle Marier St-Onge.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]- EXPLAINER | What you need to know about Quebec's religious neutrality legislation[/FONT]
[FONT=&]The provincial guidelines coming out by next July are supposed to outline how public service workers should deal with various specific situations.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Will doctors be allowed to wear surgical masks? Will police officers in riot gear be allowed to wear face shields?
[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Quebec's workplace safety standards will still apply, despite the religious neutrality legislation, the justice minister's spokesperson said.[/FONT]
[FONT=&]Workers will still be required to wear the necessary equipment to protect themselves and others, said Marier St-Onge.[/FONT]
