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“We find it a very discriminatory law, and some even find it a bit racist,” he said.

“And it’s also illogical because there is no need for such a law. In Quebec, there are seven or eight million (people). Women who cover their faces — there are dozens.” He said he knows of only one such woman in Gatineau.

“The neutrality of the state is that you take the same treatment of all cultures and all religions. And here we see that this is not neutral. This is forcing women to show part of their body to receive a service. We are really disappointed about it … People are shocked,” he said.

Limame also sees the oddball side of the new law, which applies to buses but doesn’t appear to make provisions for the hundreds of bus trips that cross the Quebec-Ontario border each day.

“She (a passenger) can uncover her face when she’s in Gatineau and cover it back up when she’s in Ottawa. In the same bus,” he said.

“In rush hour, does the (bus) driver have to stop and say, ‘Uncover your face,’ and this and that? It’s creating more problems than solutions … It’s crazy.”

The national office of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents both Gatineau and Ottawa bus drivers, spoke out strongly against the whole bill Thursday, calling it “a terrible law.”

“Islamophobia is a horrible thing that I think people need to put aside,” said president Paul Thorp, “and I think it’s a breach of their human rights if they have to remove any garment. And to deny them a public service that they are paying taxes for is shameful.”