Stephen Harper’s startling statements that he will consider banning the niqab in the federal public service drew fire from his foes but appeared to mostly baffle bureaucratic insiders.
Unions and other political party leaders were quick to condemn the Conservative leader’s remarks. However, it wasn’t clear if there were more than a few, if any, women who wear the niqab – a veil that conceals the face except for the eyes – in the federal public service.
A request to wear the Islamic garb would have to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis under the federal government’s “duty to accommodate” policy – which would set a precedent for all departments, said Andrew Griffith, a former senior public servant who writes extensively on citizenship and multiculturalism.
“Frankly, I don’t think the issue has ever come up and it’s unlikely it would have happened without consultations at the high levels,” he told the Citizen.
At a campaign stop in Saskatoon Wednesday, Harper repeated his intention, if re-elected, to consider federal legislation modelled on Quebec’s Bill 62, introduced by the provincial Liberal government in June. If passed, that law would prohibit public servants from wearing niqabs in provincial offices.
“Let me be very clear, we’ve actually been saying the same thing for several months,” said Harper. “The Quebec government, the Liberal government in Quebec, has brought forward legislation to require that people reveal their identity when delivering or receiving frontline service. They have tabled a bill before the Quebec assembly, we’ve said we will look at that bill before taking further steps.
“The Quebec government has been handling this controversy in a very responsible manner and we will do exactly the same things.”
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents the majority of federal employees, said it doesn’t know how many women working in the public service wear a niqab – if any – and has never received concerns or complaints about the garment.
Still, PSAC President Robyn Benson said a ban on the niqab or any religious symbol would violate the anti-discriminatory provisions of employees’ collective agreements and the Canadian Human Rights Act.
“This is just another cynical attempt by the Harper Conservatives to distract from what is really at stake in this election: the reckless government cuts that have impacted millions of Canadians,” said Benson.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair Wednesday called Harper’s remarks “bizarre.”
“For him to run an election campaign on the backs of minorities, stigmatizing, singling out, going after minorities … he’s looking to divide Canadians,” Mulcair said.
But beyond the barbs, puzzling questions loom.
Griffith argued the public service should get a better handle on religious and minority groups as part of its employment-equity strategy so managers are better prepared if and when a request to wear the niqab actually does arise.
The number of Muslims working in the public service is likely in line with the proportion who are Canadian citizens (the public service has a hiring preference for Canadian citizens). Muslims women represent about 1.8 per cent of the population.
In addition, the federal government has a “duty to accommodate” and Treasury Board spokesperson Lisa Murphy said in an email that the government allows public servants to wear religious symbols unless they pose health and safety risks or an “accommodation would create undue costs to the employer.”
Isabelle Roy, general counsel for the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said the number of requests for religious accommodation is “infrequent,” which suggests they are rare or are being handled appropriately by managers.
But there is still the question of whether a niqab would ever pose a security issue in the federal public service.
All public servants entering the workspace are recognized by an identification badge bearing their photos, which they typically swipe through a security apparatus to get into their locked offices. An employee wearing a niqab, and her manager, might have to find ways to ensure she could prove her identity every time she left – whether for coffee or an errand – and came back into a federal office.
Parliament Hill officials say the wearing of niqabs inside the Centre, West and East Block buildings has never been an issue. As a result, there is no protocol for dealing with the wearing of the religious veils as a security identification problem.
Sen. Vern White, who co-chaired a joint House-Senate security committee, says since people on tours of Parliament are not required to identify themselves, “identity is not a concern.”
Members of the public entering the buildings to meet with MPs or government officials, or attend Question Period, must show identification during security screening, but do not have to prove that identity. A woman wearing a niqab, therefore, would not be asked to remove it to confirm she is, for example, the same person in the driver’s licence she presents as identification.
Neither the House of Commons nor the Senate’s written procedural rules have anything to say about female MPs or senators wearing veils.
As for the bureaucracy, Griffith said the number of Muslims joining the public service will continue to increase and “sooner or later” a niqab-wearing employee will request or need an “accommodation.”
“We know religious minorities are on the increase and a certain proportion will be traditional and we should equip managers with tools to make those judgement calls. I can’t say it is a pressing issue but my policy mind tells there is a gap and we should fill that gap.”
He argued, however, that the “gap” should be filled with a revamped policy that gives more guidance on religious accommodation rather than a law that outright bans certain articles of clothing.
Ron Cochrane, co-chair of the joint union and management National Joint Council, said banning the niqab is “not in the cards.
“I think (Harper) would have a problem with discrimination,” said Cochrane. “I think we should all grow up. We are a multicultural society… and we shouldn’t start talking about discriminating against (niqabs).”
The Conservatives, meanwhile, launched a new attack ad Wednesday in French against Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, saying his support for women who might want to wear the niqab at citizenship ceremonies showed he was “totally disconnected” from Quebecers’ values.
Original Article
Source: canada.com/
Author: KATHRYN MAY
Unions and other political party leaders were quick to condemn the Conservative leader’s remarks. However, it wasn’t clear if there were more than a few, if any, women who wear the niqab – a veil that conceals the face except for the eyes – in the federal public service.
A request to wear the Islamic garb would have to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis under the federal government’s “duty to accommodate” policy – which would set a precedent for all departments, said Andrew Griffith, a former senior public servant who writes extensively on citizenship and multiculturalism.
“Frankly, I don’t think the issue has ever come up and it’s unlikely it would have happened without consultations at the high levels,” he told the Citizen.
At a campaign stop in Saskatoon Wednesday, Harper repeated his intention, if re-elected, to consider federal legislation modelled on Quebec’s Bill 62, introduced by the provincial Liberal government in June. If passed, that law would prohibit public servants from wearing niqabs in provincial offices.
“Let me be very clear, we’ve actually been saying the same thing for several months,” said Harper. “The Quebec government, the Liberal government in Quebec, has brought forward legislation to require that people reveal their identity when delivering or receiving frontline service. They have tabled a bill before the Quebec assembly, we’ve said we will look at that bill before taking further steps.
“The Quebec government has been handling this controversy in a very responsible manner and we will do exactly the same things.”
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents the majority of federal employees, said it doesn’t know how many women working in the public service wear a niqab – if any – and has never received concerns or complaints about the garment.
Still, PSAC President Robyn Benson said a ban on the niqab or any religious symbol would violate the anti-discriminatory provisions of employees’ collective agreements and the Canadian Human Rights Act.
“This is just another cynical attempt by the Harper Conservatives to distract from what is really at stake in this election: the reckless government cuts that have impacted millions of Canadians,” said Benson.
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair Wednesday called Harper’s remarks “bizarre.”
“For him to run an election campaign on the backs of minorities, stigmatizing, singling out, going after minorities … he’s looking to divide Canadians,” Mulcair said.
But beyond the barbs, puzzling questions loom.
Griffith argued the public service should get a better handle on religious and minority groups as part of its employment-equity strategy so managers are better prepared if and when a request to wear the niqab actually does arise.
The number of Muslims working in the public service is likely in line with the proportion who are Canadian citizens (the public service has a hiring preference for Canadian citizens). Muslims women represent about 1.8 per cent of the population.
In addition, the federal government has a “duty to accommodate” and Treasury Board spokesperson Lisa Murphy said in an email that the government allows public servants to wear religious symbols unless they pose health and safety risks or an “accommodation would create undue costs to the employer.”
Isabelle Roy, general counsel for the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said the number of requests for religious accommodation is “infrequent,” which suggests they are rare or are being handled appropriately by managers.
But there is still the question of whether a niqab would ever pose a security issue in the federal public service.
All public servants entering the workspace are recognized by an identification badge bearing their photos, which they typically swipe through a security apparatus to get into their locked offices. An employee wearing a niqab, and her manager, might have to find ways to ensure she could prove her identity every time she left – whether for coffee or an errand – and came back into a federal office.
Parliament Hill officials say the wearing of niqabs inside the Centre, West and East Block buildings has never been an issue. As a result, there is no protocol for dealing with the wearing of the religious veils as a security identification problem.
Sen. Vern White, who co-chaired a joint House-Senate security committee, says since people on tours of Parliament are not required to identify themselves, “identity is not a concern.”
Members of the public entering the buildings to meet with MPs or government officials, or attend Question Period, must show identification during security screening, but do not have to prove that identity. A woman wearing a niqab, therefore, would not be asked to remove it to confirm she is, for example, the same person in the driver’s licence she presents as identification.
Neither the House of Commons nor the Senate’s written procedural rules have anything to say about female MPs or senators wearing veils.
As for the bureaucracy, Griffith said the number of Muslims joining the public service will continue to increase and “sooner or later” a niqab-wearing employee will request or need an “accommodation.”
“We know religious minorities are on the increase and a certain proportion will be traditional and we should equip managers with tools to make those judgement calls. I can’t say it is a pressing issue but my policy mind tells there is a gap and we should fill that gap.”
He argued, however, that the “gap” should be filled with a revamped policy that gives more guidance on religious accommodation rather than a law that outright bans certain articles of clothing.
Ron Cochrane, co-chair of the joint union and management National Joint Council, said banning the niqab is “not in the cards.
“I think (Harper) would have a problem with discrimination,” said Cochrane. “I think we should all grow up. We are a multicultural society… and we shouldn’t start talking about discriminating against (niqabs).”
The Conservatives, meanwhile, launched a new attack ad Wednesday in French against Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, saying his support for women who might want to wear the niqab at citizenship ceremonies showed he was “totally disconnected” from Quebecers’ values.
Original Article
Source: canada.com/
Author: KATHRYN MAY
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