Canada court rules in favour of niqab in citizenship ceremonies

Court rejects Conservative government's request for a stay of its decision also in favour of Zunera Ishaq

OTTAWA: The Canadian Federal Court of Appeals, weighing in on an issue that has proved pivotal in the campaign for the October 19 election, ruled on Monday in favour of a Muslim woman who has sought to take the oath of citizenship with her face veiled.

The court rejected the Conservative government's request for a stay of its September 15 decision also in favour of the woman, Zunera Ishaq, who insisted on wearing the niqab at the citizenship ceremony.

Read: Niqab ban is hot button issue in Canada election debate

The government is appealing the decision to the Supreme Court and had asked that it be put on hold.

The niqab issue has become a volatile one in the election campaign, particularly in the province of Quebec, where the vast majority of the population supports a ban on niqabs at citizenship ceremonies.

Read: Canada court lets women wear veil for citizenship oath

It has badly eroded the support in Quebec of the opposition New Democratic Party, which has declined to back the ban, and this has hurt the NDP's national polling numbers.