The Liberal leader says Harper’s stance — which the Conservative party has enthusiastically embraced to rally support, raise money and pad its voter data base — is unworthy of a prime minister in such a diverse, multicultural country.
OTTAWA – Justin Trudeau says Stephen Harper is pandering to fears about Muslims with his insistence that no one should be allowed to wear a veil while taking the oath of Canadian citizenship, reported Canadian Press.
The Liberal leader says Harper’s stance — which the Conservative party has enthusiastically embraced to rally support, raise money and pad its voter data base — is unworthy of a prime minister in such a diverse, multicultural country.
Harper sparked the criticism after vowing last week to appeal a court ruling that allowed a Muslim woman to take the citizenship oath without removing her niqab, a religious face-covering garment that leaves only the eyes exposed.
Harper said it’s “offensive” to hide one’s identity while joining “the Canadian family.”
Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander went further in a subsequent email to Conservative supporters, urging them to sign an online petition in support of Harper’s remarks; he suggested Muslim women should not be allowed to take the oath while wearing a hijab, which covers the head but not the face.
“Canada’s diversity is our great and unique strength,” Trudeau said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
“We are the one country in the world that has figured out how to be strong, not in spite of our differences but because of them. So, the prime minister of this country has a responsibility to bring people together in this country, not to divide us by pandering to some people’s fears.”
Harper’s approach “frays away the edges of our multicultural fabric … (by) stoking and pandering to fears rather than allaying them,” he added.
What’s more, “it’s unworthy of someone who is prime minister for all Canadians.”
