Oh, Canada

Canada must be concerned that the previous Administration had tilted so far to the left that the country was in danger of tumbling off the continental shelf. That's the only explanation for the sudden extreme surge to the right, with the withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol and the banning of veils at the oath of citizenship ceremonies.

Of course, one might ask if I can criticize them over Kyoto when the US doesn't even adhere to the protocol. Of course I can; I am not my government, and I've criticized the US too.

The gist of it is that Canada says the Kyoto Protocol does not successfully solve the problem of climate change, at least not to the extent that it offsets the economic costs to industry. The implication is that the Kyoto Protocol is just a bunch of words, just pomp and circumstance.

If they are making this argument, then why would they stress the importance of being able to see the face of someone taking the oath of citizenship? If Oaths and Accords do not have inherent value guaranteeing success, why make the oath of citizenship sacrosanct enough to request someone sacrifice an important element of their personal religion? Do they ask Christians to make some sacrifice acknowledging Canada over Jesus?

A couple clarifying points: I do not agree that women should have to wear veils; I think it is also quite reasonable that they need to verify their identity at some point in the application process, to remove the veil so it can be confirmed they are who they say they are. But during the public ceremony, when they are simply saying words to signify the completion of the application process, what difference does it make?

If your ceremony is about the values of openness and equality, if you are asking Muslims to sacrifice their veil, what are you asking other applicants to sacrifice? You know, to keep things equal.