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The mornings after
Five years ago, I didn't even know what the word "niqab" meant, and now it is dividing our beautiful country. Why?
There are two people at fault here. Zunera Ishaq, who refuses to respect Canada's cultural practices during the symbolic citizenship ceremony, and the Prime Minister, who has allowed, even encouraged, an emotional avalanche in the wake of that refusal.
Let's resolve this issue with a referendum well after the election, when cooler heads prevail. The Federal Court of Appeal's recent ruling may not represent the national will of the people. Let's really see what the Canadian people feel before politicians take this further in the courts. Canada is known for its tolerance and respect for all cultures; we bend over backward to accommodate people. Maybe Ms. Ishaq is pushing our tolerance a bit too far?
Canadians should decide, not a power-hungry Prime Minister who should behave better. We need some leadership here.
Roseanne McNeill, Ottawa
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Should the Conservatives succeed in winning this election, I expect their strategy of niqab-hunting will go dark one week from today on the morning of Oct. 20. They will again focus on the priority issues of running this country their way: ignoring the real concerns of women and children, selling off our rights in secret trade deals, and cutting up what's left of the Canadian social fabric.
Janet Laxton, Victoria
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Asylum denied
As someone who has worked with refugees as an aid worker, public servant, volunteer, researcher and professor for 20 years, I'm appalled by revelations of selection criteria for Syrian refugees (Tories Apply Specific Criteria For Refugees – Oct. 9).
Canada has an international obligation to uphold people's fundamental right to asylum. The fact that our government delayed the realization of that right for thousands of refugee claimants in order to undertake immigration-style selection criteria undermines the letter and spirit of the 1951 UN convention on refugees. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees had already determined that the Syrians they were referring for resettlement were refugees and were not excluded from this status on security grounds.
Recognizing that eligible refugees greatly exceeded the number of resettlement places, the UN refugee agency had also prioritized cases on the basis of "international vulnerability criteria." Instead, the government delayed the process of resettlement by screening for non-humanitarian "areas of focus," such as "people who have run a business."
The government has repeatedly claimed Canada's refugee policy is "generous." We are far from generous; we are seeking to gain economically from human tragedy.
Christina Clark-Kazak, director, Centre for Refugee Studies, York University
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Price of principle
Canadians' trust for politicians is at an all-time low, but the past weeks have me wondering if that is a self-made problem. Do we insist politicians lie to get elected?
The NDP has taken a drubbing in the polls after taking a principled stand. Stephen Harper has perfected the art of the platitude, reassuring us he is stewarding the environment and "strengthening Canada's democratic institutions" while doing the opposite. To be fair, he learned from a master in Jean Chrétien.
Every politician – every person – believes things that the majority disagree with. Now we have a party telling us the truth and paying the price for it. Apparently, we like it better when they lie to us.
Robbie Brydon, Edmonton
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Niqab distractions
Rabbi Robert Alper of Vermont beat out more than 4,000 people from 47 different countries who submitted jokes in a contest organized by the Pontifical Missions Society called "Joke With the Pope." The contest was supposed to promote engagement with the Pope leading up to his U.S. visit.
Here's Rabbi Alper's joke: "My wife and I have been married for over 46 years, and our lives are totally in sync. For example, at the same time I got a hearing aid, she stopped mumbling." For that joke, he gets to call himself Pope Francis's Comedic Adviser. I want to be Stephen Harper's comedic adviser. Here's my joke:
How many niqabs does it take to win an election?
Just one, but you need a bit of smoke and some mirrors.
Alan Rutkowski, Victoria
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It's a little disappointing that Canadians can be seduced into thinking that wearing a veil at a citizenship ceremony is more crucial than discussing the health-care crisis. This crisis will be exacerbated by a tax-cutting Prime Minister who is in denial regarding the tsunami of baby boomers approaching 70. The Conservative "stealth plan" of limiting increases in health-care transfers to inflation will slowly shift the costs to the provinces.
Only the rich among us will have the resources to privately buy the hips, knees, medications for cancer, heart disease, strokes and dementia. We have less than a week to talk about the crisis that is about to affect all of us whether we be caregiver or care-receiver.
Trevor Calkins, Victoria
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Political blunders
Eric Andrew-Gee's article on political gaffes (Gaffes – Folio, Oct. 8) provided a much-needed moment of levity, however, it also revealed troubling realities. True, social media offers instances through which we can glimpse candidates at their most revealing "best." Obviously, distanced from their handlers, Canadian politicians can attain the dubious distinction of Trump-like narrative.
As amusing as it may be to consider the real human foibles of aspiring MPs, it is also sobering. We are losing an opportunity to employ candidates' truth as opportunities to challenge ignorance and confront prejudice. When we, as an electorate, grasp at honesty – however unintentional – as punitive, we cause our politicians to be less forthcoming, more cynical, more artificial. The result of this dynamic is an abandoning of genuine civic engagement, to convert politics into an American-style scripted series.
Caril Phang, Toronto
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The 'Fine Finley'?
We should be grateful Stephen Harper wants to tackle the poor state of dress of civil servants. It's unacceptable that they've been allowed to sport costumes based on ancient foreign cultural practices, such as golf shirts or yoga pants, for so long. His plan to introduce a dress code should be made into a law called something like the "Cracking Down on Public Servants Who Dress Improperly Act" (Harper's Proposed Niqab Ban Among Civil Servants Draws Condemnation – Oct. 8).
We already have uniforms for some civil servants. Why not a conservatively styled uniform for all of them? Following in the tradition of North Korea, the government could also banish outdated hairstyles and introduce legal haircuts for public servants: Perhaps the Harper haircut for men and the Fine Finley for women?
Lynn Fournier-Ruggles, Toronto