Immigration Minister Jason Kenney made the announcement Monday in Montreal.
"Starting today, any individual will have to show his or her face when taking the oath of citizenship. Recently I received complaints from members of the Parliament, citizenship judges and even participants in citizenship ceremonies to the effect that it is difficult to ensure that the individuals whose faces are covered are really taking the oath," Kenney said.
"But this is not a simple or technical measure, far from it, this is really a matter of pure principle which is at the very heart of our identity and our values with respect to openness and equality," Kenney said. "The oath of citizenship is basically a public gesture, a public declaration that shows that you are joining the Canadian family and this has to be done freely and openly, not secretly. Isolating and separating a group of Canadians or allowing that group to hide their faces while they are becoming members of our community is completely counter to Canada's commitment to openness and social cohesion."
After the announcement, Kenney told CBC it was important officials are able to verify that a person is actually taking the oath, and "I didn't know how we can do that behind a veil. "
"This is an act of public witness, you are standing up in front of your fellow citizens making a solemn commitment to be loyal to the country, and I just think it's not possible to do that with your face covered and it also I think just undermines the whole approach that we are trying to do through citizenship, which is to make people fully members of our community. I do not know how you can do that from behind a kind of a mask."
He said he thought there would be some criticism from group's citing religious freedoms.
"I'm sure there will be some critics, I suspect they will be very marginal."
Kenney said wearing a niqab or face covering is not a religious obligation.
"It is a cultural tradition which I think reflects a certain view about women that we do not accept in Canada. We want women to be full and equal members of Canadian society and certainly, when they are taking the citizenship oath, that is the right place to start."
"The new rule requires the citizenship judge to see the person's face as the oath is being spoken. Once the oath is completed and the national anthem sung, the individual can cover her face and begin a new life in Canada as a citizen," Sun Media's Mark Dunn, who broke the story, reports.
The Toronto Sun has published an editorial on the new rules.
"At a practical level, if we believe the oath is actually important, Kenney's move will ensure the person swearing their oath is actually the person whose signature is on this precious document, one that entitles them to citizenship in arguably the best country in the world."
Muslim face coverings such as the niqab and the burqa have sparked fierce debate in Canada. A case is currently before the Supreme Court debating whether Muslim women can testify in court with their faces covered.
The case is being seen as a fight between a woman's religious right and the right to a fair trial.
Last year, Quebec introduced legislation that would force women to unveil before receiving public services.
In Europe, bans on Muslim face coverings have been proposed in a number of countries. France has instituted a ban and The Netherlands is in the midst of passing such legislation.
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Source: Huff
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