Letters and messages from the chief commissioner: October 23, 2007
Chief commissioner's letter to the editor published October 23, 2007 in the Edmonton Journal, concerning Election Canada's decision to allow Muslim women to vote wearing a burka
The decision by Elections Canada to allow Muslim women to vote wearing face-covering burkas has generated a new level of public debate about how far our democratic institutions should go to model respect for individual rights. Sadly in a very few instances, that debate may have gone beyond what most people would consider appropriate and has generated protests: such as a rally by a white supremacist group at Calgary city hall on the eve of the civic election. As a result of that rally and another associated incident where a man wearing a ski mask showed up to vote, I would like to provide a perspective on the role of Alberta’s human rights legislation in this matter. Elections Canada has rightly determined that concealing one’s face is a different matter than concealing one’s identity. As long as the deputy returning officer is satisfied with the identification presented by a voter, that individual is allowed to vote. Period. A voter could dress in a burka, military uniform, tutu, business suit or swim suit. There is no dress code for voters. Likewise, the City of Calgary’s rules on voter identification seem clear. All a voter must do is present proof of identity. The acceptable forms are listed and if there is some doubt as to the identity of an individual, there is a process for resolving the matter. Although freedom of speech is a treasured part of our Canadian heritage, that freedom does not extend to expressions of hatred, contempt and discrimination against another person or a group. I have a message to those who use the pretext of protesting the legal rights of Muslim women dressed in burkas to vote as a means for promoting racism and religious discrimination – such discrimination is illegal under Alberta’s human rights legislation.
Charlach Mackintosh
Chief Commissioner
Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission
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