Quebec’s new Coalition Avenir Quebec government says it will go a step further in restricting religious symbols, prohibiting all public servants from wearing the chador.
The ban on the garment will be part of legislation that will also forbid state employees in positions of authority, including teachers, from wearing visible religious symbols.
The chador, which is worn primarily by Muslim women from Iran, is a cloak that covers the head and upper body but leaves the face visible.
Justice Minister Sonia LeBel said the government will move forward with the measure even though some people question whether a ban would be legal.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, the Minister of Diversity, Immigration and Inclusion, said he hopes to introduce legislation quickly, but he could not say whether it will be tabled before the end of the year.
The legislature resumes sitting Nov. 27.