Kenney and the Autocrat’s Handbook
The Alberta Legislature ended the 2021 Spring Session on a particularly disturbing note. Members of the Opposition asked Jason Kenney to apologize for his role in pushing the niqab ban,…
niqab
Knock it off, Tom, it wasn’t the niqab
I am a long-time member of the NDP but not, I'm afraid, a member of the Tom Mulcair fan club. I didn't support his election to leader primarily because I've…
Is Christ Christian? Reflections on the niqab debate.
Pondering the late unlamented election debate about the niqab, I took to wondering just what a religion is. Not the dictionary definition or what theologians say it is, but how…
Where are the ‘good Conservatives,’ prepared to speak against their party’s race-baiting tactics?
PHOTOS: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s tactics have sparked protests, but Conservatives who should know better have been astonishingly quiet. (CommonDreams.org photo.) Below: Former St. Albert MLA Mary O’Neill, Independent MP…
Cultural and religious issues dominate as election day nears
Thank God for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). I say that not because trade is an inherently Jewish issue, nor because I know for certain the recently negotiated deal will be…
Lawyers, guns and money: Russia’s intervention in Syria offers a useful teaching moment for Canadians
PHOTOS: A Russian Su-34 bomber releases a bomb near the provisional ISIS capital of Raqqa in Syria. (Russian Ministry of Defence photo.) Below: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Syrian President Bashar…
No Scrutiny Please, They’re Saudi.
This op-ed appeared in The Ottawa Citizen on October 1, 2015. In 2014, on the shores of Lake Geneva and next to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for…
Niqab nonsense—much ado about nothing
I am no fan of the niqab. Hell, I’m no fan of religion. But if a Moslem woman wants to wear a niqab at a citizenship ceremony for religious reasons,…
Niqab: In defence of Thomas Mulcair
Thomas Mulcair: Man of Principle Mr. Mulcair was asked a simple question, loaded with peril, and he answered it very clearly in the last debate on foreign affairs. His answer…
Niqab: In defence of Thomas Mulcair
Thomas Mulcair: Man of PrincipleMr. Mulcair was asked a simple question, loaded with peril, and he answered it very clearly in the last debate on foreign affairs. His answer to…
A Pop Quiz for Canadian Citizens
Lost in the hoopla over whether Ms Ishaq can take the Oath of Citizenship while wearing a niqab is the fact that she actually passed the citizenship test. Which made…
These are the types of NDP candidates Thomas Mulcair stands behind…
These are the types of NDP candidates Thomas Mulcair stands behind… Intolerance Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie Alexandre Boulerice says the NDP is against the niqab! Mégantic—L’Érable Jean-François Delisle says the NDP should…
Let’s Not Face the Truth….
Canadians of all stripes oppose face coverings at citizenship ceremonies: Vote Compass Conservative and BQ supporters most opposed; Liberals, NDP and Greens more mixed CBC News Posted: Sep 21, 2015…
Let’s Not Face the Truth….
Canadians of all stripes oppose face coverings at citizenship ceremonies: Vote Compass Conservative and BQ supporters most opposed; Liberals, NDP and Greens more mixed CBC News Posted: Sep 21, 2015…
Santa Gets Citizenship, Zunera Ishaq Does Not
Citizenship is a serious matter, right? That’s why Santa Claus is a Canadian citizen but Zunera Ishaq is not. Or to put it more accurately—that’s why a man covering his…
Oaths, niqabs, and respecting the rules
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander made a curious statement recently when being asked about the government’s proposed Bill C-75 which states that a person taking the oath of citizenship must “swear…
The Niqab Hijab etc.. real issue.
By now, you know that a Federal Court has ruled against the Government of Canada that wanted veils/face coverings removed for the “ceremonial” part of the citizenship ceremony to become…
A Secular Choice…..and the Right to Choose
Niqab controversy: Judge struck down ban without referring to charter Zunera Ishaq, a Pakistani woman and devout Muslim, seeks to wear niqab during citizenship oath By Mark Gollom, CBC News…
Mr. Harper’s Veiled Threats
What do you call a solution without a problem? If you’re Stephen Harper, you call it an election strategy. The Conservative government has been proposing solutions in desperate need of…
Harper fails Conservative citizenship criteria
Over the signature of Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander, the Conservative Party of Canada recently emailed a petition to its supporters, rallying them against face covering during citizenship…