Supporters of the bill say the law enshrines respect for public discourse and communication

Critics also say that Bill 62 targets a small minority for nothing more than political gain

Montreal's Mayor Denis Coderre denounced the bill, saying his city will be affected the most by the new legislation

The legislation passed 66 to 51 with the majority Liberal party pushing the law

The bill bans anyone from covering their face while giving or receiving public services such as medical care, public transport or using the library

Quebec will become North America's first province to ban its citizens from wearing face coverings

Quebec will become North America's first province to ban its citizens from wearing face coverings in what civil rights experts call an attack on the Muslim community.

The Quebec National Assembly moved to adopt the legislation on Wednesday, which compels residents to show their face while giving or receiving public services, according to The Globe and Mail.

The law, named Bill 62, is the result of a decade-long dispute concerning the religious community as it relates to the public sphere.

Quebec will become North America's first province to ban its citizens from wearing face coverings (Pictured: Women in traditional Muslim garb protesting in Quebec in September 2013)

The Quebec National Assembly moved to adopt Bill 62 on Wednesday, passing the legislation 66 to 51 (Pictured: Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée)

Implementation of the law has yet to be worked out, but critics fear the new legislation will disproportionately affect Muslim women who choose to wear traditional garments such as the burqa or niqab.

Justice Minister Stéphanie Vallée said the law will affect anyone who uses state services, such as bus transportation, medical care or checking out a book at the library.

'To take public transit, you have to have your face uncovered. All through the ride,' Vallée said on Wednesday.

Bill 62 was adopted by the National Assembly on Wednesday, with The Liberals using their majority to push the legislation through voting 66 to 51.

Some factions in the Assembly who voted down the law, such as Parti Québécois and Coalition Avenir Québec, said the bill did not go far enough.

Montreal's Mayor Denis Coderre denounced the bill, saying his city will be affected the most by the new legislation (Pictured: Denis Coderre Sept. 2017)

Along with Muslim organizations and civil-rights groups, Montreal's Mayor Denis Coderre denounced the legislation, saying his city, which houses the majority of immigrants, would bear the brunt of the law's provisions, the Mail reported.

Legal experts say they expect the law to face a litany of legal challenges.

'I have never seen a more flagrantly unconstitutional law,' Montreal human-rights lawyer Julius Grey told The Mail during an interview.

'The law scandalizes me. The possibility that somebody could be refused service at a hospital or be thrown off a bus [because of a face veil] is scandalous.'

Critics also say that Bill 62, which was first presented in 2015, takes aim at Quebec's most vulnerable citizens, targeting a minority community for political purposes.

Supporters of the bill like Quebec's Premier Philippe Couillard (pictured) say the law enshrines respect for public discourse and communication

'It allows voices to marginalize and vilify the Muslim community even further,' Ihsaan Gardee, executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, told The Mail.

'It's not the business of the state to be in the wardrobes of the nation,' he added.

Bill 62 does not specifically single out the burqa or the niqab in its language, but it requires citizens to have their faced uncovered while interacting with state institutions. Vallée said that the law could be extended to included bandannas and certain sunglasses as well.

Quebec's Premier, Philippe Couillard, has been under intense pressure to support the legislation, fearing to look soft on issues such as identity as an election looms just one year away.

'A covered face isn't only about religion,' Couillard said.

'You speak to me, I speak to you, I see your face, you see mine. It's part of communications. It's a question in my mind that is not solely religious, it's human,' he added.