"We protect religious rights in this country. It’s not my religion or my faith, but I’m not here to pass judgement on one’s religion or one’s faith."
Source/Credit: Niagara Falls Review
By Ray Spiteri | September 29, 2015
The Conservatives wanting the Supreme Court of Canada to consider whether face coverings can be banned at citizenship ceremonies is “just a political ploy to pander to their base,” says Niagara Falls Liberal candidate Ron Planche.
“They don’t need to do this,” said Planche. “The law is clear on this issue.”
Zunera Ishaq, a devout, 29-year-old Muslim woman, had refused to take part in a citizenship ceremony because she would have to show her face under a rule change implemented by the Conservative government in 2011.
The Conservatives want women to be required to show their faces not only at a point during the process of applying for citizenship, but also during the citizenship ceremony.
Ishaq challenged the rule at the Federal Court of Appeal and won. The ruling said the policy violated the Citizenship Act, which states candidates for citizenship must be allowed the greatest possible religious freedom when they take the oath.
The government is seeking to take that decision to the Supreme Court, and wants the decision stayed while it appeals.
St. Catharines incumbent Conservative MP Rick Dykstra said he was a parliamentary secretary at citizenship and immigration when this issue was first brought up.
He said there were hearings on all matters related to citizenship, including this particular issue and that “all witnesses agreed with the government’s position.”
Dykstra said the party respects the culture and religion of all immigrants, but “at that one public moment” when a new citizen is declaring their loyalty to fellow citizens and country, it “should be done openly.
He said obtaining Canadian citizenship is one of the most “revered things to have in the world” and the removal of a face covering would be for “one brief moment.”
Planche said this controversy is another example of how the Conservatives are trying to take Canada to the far right.
“We protect religious rights in this country. It’s not my religion or my faith, but I’m not here to pass judgement on one’s religion or one’s faith,” he said.
“You either believe in laws or you don’t. You either believe in religious rights or you don’t. You either believe in human rights, individual rights, or you don’t. I do.”
St. Catharines Green candidate Jim Fannon said he thinks there is room for “respect and understanding” in Canada for people’s faith.
“It doesn’t surprise me that the (Prime Minister Stephen) Harper government is trying to do this.”
He said while he disagrees with Harper, the prime minister is strategically “one of the brightest” politicians in Canadian history and continues to “use laws, and exploit rules, to his party’s end.”
Fannon said the government should find ways to accommodate people who want to wear a niqab. For example, he said another woman could take the person into a private setting where she can be identified without her face covered.
“I have been consistently made to feel that this is not a very understanding government.”
Niagara Centre incumbent NDP MP Malcolm Allen said he has attended a number of citizenship ceremonies and this has never been an issue. He said he believes “this is a pure election ploy” by the Conservatives to try to divide Canadians.
Allen said everyone who is about to become a Canadian citizen has to physically identify themselves to a clerk, who verifies their identity. He said the public portion of the ceremony is more of a congratulatory part of proceedings, where the citizen receives a certificate and a pin.
“When this government enacts laws, they don’t check if they would pass court challenges,” said Allen.
Ezeldin Ebadalla, of the Islamic Society of St. Cathrines, said he supports Ishaq “in the sense that the ruling affirms her religious freedom.
“I don’t believe the Conservative government should appeal the ruling,” he said. “I suggest the funds that the government would use for the appeal, to be diverted to support the refugees.”
Also, an international Muslim organization said the federal court decision in support of Ishaq is in line with core Canadian values and highlights the country’s status as a free and democratic nation.
“We are glad that the federal court upheld principles of freedom of religion,” said Lal Khan Malik, national president of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada, an organization dedicated to ending religious wars, condemning bloodshed and reinstating morality, justice and peace.
“It is a true blessing and privilege to live in a free, democratic society where both the government and the courts can ultimately make decisions and reach a resolution that is the best for the collective good.”
ray.spiteri@sunmedia.ca
Twitter: @RaySpiteri
Read original post here: ‘Law is clear' on niqab, Niagara politician says
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