The Canadian province of Quebec has passed a ban on face coverings for anyone receiving or providing government services, the first law of its kind in North America.

The new religious neutrality law, which was passed by the regional parliament on Wednesday, will effectively ban the the wearing of the niqab or burqa in a wide range of arenas, including public transport and doctors' surgeries.

Following the adoption of the bill, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said that in a “free and democratic society, public services should be given and received with an open face.”

“You speak to me, I should see your face, and you should see mine,” he said.

Quebec’s Liberal government tabled the legislation in 2015 after the party took power a year earlier from the now-opposition separatist Parti Québécois (PQ), which proposed a “charter of values” that sought to ban public servants from wearing any religious symbols.