First published in Esteem Rising. Reprinted by permission

Canada finally grows some ***** and sets down a rule that makes sense despite some minor opposition. Niqabs, burkas and other veils will no longer be aloud when new Canadians take an oath of citizenship. The announcement came this week and I for one say "Hooray!"

I mean, really...does it make any sense to have a masked person take an oath? You can't see if they are saying anything which makes it meaningless. Can you even tell that the person you have in front of you is the person who should be sworn in? I don't know. What is the protocol for ensuring this is indeed the right individual? I'm a little ignorant about the pre-ceremony process but I have no problem with this rule being set in place.

The diversity of our country is amazing! Love it! Love teaching new Canadians about career options and even conversational English. Immigration, is not a bad thing. Though, it could use some work to make it a better system. (But, that's for another blog post) What didn't make any sense was this idea that someone can stand before our officials, participate in a ceremony and supposedly recite the words they must in order to become a Canadian citizen, without even showing who they are.

I also don't agree with coverings in court or anywhere else where testimony or security is key. This isn't anything against Muslims. Whether the women choose to where their coverings or not, is up to them. (if it is their choice alone) This is about the very fabric of our Canadian values, our laws and everything that goes with walking through our open door. You have to give up things in order to adopt a country as your new home. Things change and you have to be willing to bend a little to conform with policies and procedures that are built into a system that is designed to serve and protect.

Eventually, this may not be an issue at all. The use of these coverings may not be what future generations subscribe too; at least to the degree it is now. However, for right now we have a situation that needed to addressed and I'm glad it was. We have long been soft on so many issues that have cropped up to the point where it has caused bad blood between new immigrants and Canadian citizens. If we stand up for our heritage, values and laws we are called racist, intolerant and a whole host of other labels but this is not how it should be.

We need to protect the very things that attracted people to our country in the first place and we need to be diligent in taking in only those who are ready and willing to accept those principles. People may give up a lot to come here but that doesn't mean we need to give up everything we have to make them feel welcome.