TORONTO, Sept 12: Canada’s chief electoral officer has declared that Muslim women wearing veils ‘will not have to show their faces at polling stations in the upcoming elections, but they may be asked for sworn statements in some situations to verify their identities.’ The ruling comes less than four weeks before Ontario’s next provincial election. And despite controversial debate on the ruling, the electoral officer has stuck to his decision, at least so far. Chief electoral officer, Marc Mayrand has also ‘challenged politicians’ in a press conference in Ottawa, ‘who have voiced their criticism of the policy to change the Elections Act if they want more stringent identification requirements on election day.’

The ruling was made public on Monday and it unleashed a barrage of criticism against the elections officer including some from the Muslim Organisations who feel that this is a move to isolate the Muslims.

Earlier, Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaking at a news conference at the end of the APEC summit in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday had already accused Elections Canada of ‘subverting the will of Parliament by permitting Muslim women to wear veils and burkas while voting.’

The new rules giving Muslim women electors the ‘right’ to wear niqabs or burkas also comes barely a week before the Sept 17 by-elections scheduled in Quebec. According to media reports, the Bloc Québécois has urged Elections Canada to reverse its new rules and has sent a letter to the federal elections office asking for the rule to be changed for the Sept 17 by-elections as it is ‘troubling.’