Canadian draft law bars veiled women from voting

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OTTAWA, Oct 27 (AFP): A new draft law introduced by Canada's Conservative government Friday would bar Muslim women from voting if they show up at polling places with a veiled face.
The measure was proposed in the wake of the government's recent dispute with Elections Canada, which has refused to bar people with veiled faces from polling places.
The draft legislation provides for only one exception: bandages on the face worn for medical reasons, for example, after surgery.
But in that case, voters must present two proofs of identity or be accompanied by a qualified elector able to vouch for them. The debate over the veil erupted last September, during federal by- elections in Quebec province.
Several days before the vote, Elections Canada laid down rules, under which fully veiled women could vote without showing their faces.
The ruling led to a political clash, particularly in Quebec, which is involved in a major debate about integration of immigrants.
Leading political parties have asked Elections Canada to bar fully veiled people from voting places, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper even had to comment on the issue while on a visit to Australia, saying he was in deep disagreement with the Elections Canada procedure.