Quebec’s politicians have long been willing to stoke fear of change for electoral gain.

In 2006, a Hasidic group petitioned a Montreal Y.M.C.A. to frost its windows — the sweaty flesh inside the gym, visible from the sidewalk, was too much for Orthodox Hasidim. Other isolated incidents followed, including a request from a Muslim group to have pork-free baked beans served at a maple syrup shack. From these episodes a fearsome narrative was formed, fueled by tabloid media and some populist politicians: Immigrants were destroying Quebec’s way of life.

In 2013, the separatist Parti Québécois government introduced the “Quebec values charter,” which sought to ban all “conspicuous” religious attire from anyone drawing a government paycheck.

It came with a helpful chart, displayed in subway stations and other public spaces, of an outsize crucifix, a hijab, a niqab, a turban and a skullcap — all types of religious accouterments the proposed law sought to ban. Attacks on Muslim women increased during the debate over the law, according to one of the province’s largest women’s coalitions. (The bill never passed, and the Parti Québécois lost the next election to the provincial Liberal Party.)

The new Quebec ban is popular. A recent Angus Reid Institute poll found that 87 percent of Quebecers are in favor of it. With its introduction, the unpopular Quebec premier, Philippe Couillard, has found a rare rallying point for his government.

Muslims who cover their faces in Quebec — perhaps fewer than 100 women in a province with nearly eight million people, according to a 2013 study — will face a bewildering set of rules. It must be removed in the classroom, though it can remain in hallways or on campus. Veil-wearers can read a book at the library, but must remove the veil when checking it out.

Quebec’s justice minister, Stéphanie Vallée, recently confirmed that the ban would include not only Muslim veils but accessories like sunglasses as well. This is ripe for satire similar to that inflicted on Quebec’s infamous language police, which must ensure that English on signs is less prominent than the French. It will be up to bus drivers to not only ferry passengers, but to measure the size and tint of their spectacles.