European countries have implemented similar bans on face coverings, perhaps the strategy of doing nothing in the face of assertive political Islam has failed conclusively in terms of a festering social fabric and segregated communities. The niqab has nothing to do with cultural relativism, it represents an ideology that demands absolute submission from women under the guise of modesty or piety or both. Canada isn't "different" from countries where the niqab is common, Canada is advanced. Canada does not punish women for the "immodesty" of uncovered hair or kill homosexuals, not because of cultural "differences", because of progress. The niqab is not independent of culture in countries where it is most common, it is a symbol of a fundamentalist belief system that also includes the death penalty for homosexuality, "blasphemy", and "apostasy". After witnessing Europe's regression over the last 15 years, Quebec's new law is progressive and warranted.