voting in Canada just getting tougher
Veiled Muslim women may face new law
By JORGE BARRERA, NATIONAL BUREAU
Veiled Muslim women might be forced to show their faces at the voting booth if a government bill quietly making its way through the Senate becomes law, says new chief federal electoral officer Marc Mayrand.
Bill C-31 would require voters to show government-issued photo identification at the polling booth during federal elections. It has passed through the House of Commons and is currently being studied by a Senate committee.
Mayrand said the bill, if passed, would plop the controversial issue of the veil, which created a stir during the recent Quebec election, on the lap of Elections Canada. (CTV news coverage of this http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070323/elections_muslim_070323/20070323/)
'HAVE TO REVIEW SITUATION'
"If it passes, it will have to be addressed," said Mayrand, in an interview with Sun Media. "We have to review the situation."
The bill also allows for alternative identification authorized by Elections Canada. Those without identification can have someone else registered in the same polling division vouch for them by swearing an oath.
The Muslim Canadian Congress sees no problem with the bill.
"We believe that no one who covers their face should be allowed to vote," said Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
Fatah said Muslim groups causing a stir over the issue want to increase hostilities between the Muslim community and the rest of Canada.
NDP OPPOSES LEGISLATION
The NDP has opposed the legislation, dubbing it "a Big Brother bill" because it promises to hand personal information over to political parties and electoral candidates.
Public outrage forced Quebec's electoral officer to reverse a decision that allowed Muslim women to keep the niqab on at the voting booth.
Mayrand said Blanchet faced an "exceptional situation" that could have spun "out of control."
Voters are currently not required to show photo ID during federal elections.
Under the bill, Elections Canada would be required to create lifetime identifying numbers for the country's more than 22 million voters. Birthdates would also be included on permanent voters lists, be updated yearly and be available to political parties and candidates.
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Isn't this a moot point when it comes to votes? I mean, last I heard about the Canadian voting system, no one really shows up to vote these days. I mean, if you are going to throw a party and you buy the chips and dip but everyone from your school doesn't show up, do you really want to start making it harder and harder for kids from another school to come in and party? It isn't like we are going to get a really horrible and undemocratic political party into the system. The great thing about the Canadian political system is that you don't vote for a guy, you vote for the party. About the only party that could possibly cause damage to the whole country and drop us into unemployment and all is the Green party. I say as long as the voter is not armed or hanging around the voting place with hand guns or weapons saying "yeah, might be a good idea for you to vote for this party", then let them come dressed as Darth Vader or Mickey Mouse for all I care. As long as you have your election paper with your name and address on it and bring it to the polls, come as you are.
By JORGE BARRERA, NATIONAL BUREAU
Veiled Muslim women might be forced to show their faces at the voting booth if a government bill quietly making its way through the Senate becomes law, says new chief federal electoral officer Marc Mayrand.
Bill C-31 would require voters to show government-issued photo identification at the polling booth during federal elections. It has passed through the House of Commons and is currently being studied by a Senate committee.
Mayrand said the bill, if passed, would plop the controversial issue of the veil, which created a stir during the recent Quebec election, on the lap of Elections Canada. (CTV news coverage of this http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070323/elections_muslim_070323/20070323/)
'HAVE TO REVIEW SITUATION'
"If it passes, it will have to be addressed," said Mayrand, in an interview with Sun Media. "We have to review the situation."
The bill also allows for alternative identification authorized by Elections Canada. Those without identification can have someone else registered in the same polling division vouch for them by swearing an oath.
The Muslim Canadian Congress sees no problem with the bill.
"We believe that no one who covers their face should be allowed to vote," said Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
Fatah said Muslim groups causing a stir over the issue want to increase hostilities between the Muslim community and the rest of Canada.
NDP OPPOSES LEGISLATION
The NDP has opposed the legislation, dubbing it "a Big Brother bill" because it promises to hand personal information over to political parties and electoral candidates.
Public outrage forced Quebec's electoral officer to reverse a decision that allowed Muslim women to keep the niqab on at the voting booth.
Mayrand said Blanchet faced an "exceptional situation" that could have spun "out of control."
Voters are currently not required to show photo ID during federal elections.
Under the bill, Elections Canada would be required to create lifetime identifying numbers for the country's more than 22 million voters. Birthdates would also be included on permanent voters lists, be updated yearly and be available to political parties and candidates.
*****
Isn't this a moot point when it comes to votes? I mean, last I heard about the Canadian voting system, no one really shows up to vote these days. I mean, if you are going to throw a party and you buy the chips and dip but everyone from your school doesn't show up, do you really want to start making it harder and harder for kids from another school to come in and party? It isn't like we are going to get a really horrible and undemocratic political party into the system. The great thing about the Canadian political system is that you don't vote for a guy, you vote for the party. About the only party that could possibly cause damage to the whole country and drop us into unemployment and all is the Green party. I say as long as the voter is not armed or hanging around the voting place with hand guns or weapons saying "yeah, might be a good idea for you to vote for this party", then let them come dressed as Darth Vader or Mickey Mouse for all I care. As long as you have your election paper with your name and address on it and bring it to the polls, come as you are.
posted by Capt_Canuck at 8:05 PM
2 Comments:
Hmmmmm.....in S'pore we vote for a 'guy', but either way, the omnipresent party always get full control.
Vote for a 'guy' in Singapore? thought you voted for a group in a GRC, which are all associated with a certain party. So, isnt it either you vote for one or two 'guys' and three other sort of tag along, or you just vote for the party and those 5 members of that party get in? I mean, not like you can vote for John Smith of the PAP, Jane Doe and Billy Bob of the SDP and then Jenny Johnson of the Workers Party all in your GRC and have them elected. Hence why the omnipresent party always gets control, cause who wants to vote out the reigning Minister of a certain area in favor of electing 5 no-names that may, or may not, do a decent job. At least with the PAP you know the evil you are getting as opposed to the evil of the unknown.
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