The Canadian federal government has quietly dropped the idea of forcing veiled women to show their faces if they want to vote in Canadian elections. The loss of interest comes just as the issue of face coverings is heating up overseas, with President Nicolas Sarkozy declaring that the Islamic burka is “not welcome” in France. Steven Fletcher, Canada’s Minister of State for Democratic Reform, confirmed Thursday that the government has no plan to proceed with legislation requiring voters to uncover their faces. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the minority government still supports the idea of forcing voters to reveal their faces, but won’t move forward as all three opposition parties have signalled they wouldn’t support legislation.
