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But it was Harper’s stance on the niqab that drew particularly strong words from Trudeau, who has been critical of the prime minister since Harper said last February that Muslim women should not wear the face covering at their citizenship ceremony because it’s “offensive” and it’s “not how we do things here.”

The issue has re-emerged in the campaign, with Harper saying twice this week that a re-elected Tory government will also examine whether public servants should be forbidden from wearing the niqab.

“I think it’s obvious that he’s playing very reckless and dangerous games, pitting Canadians against one another for a narrow political goal,” Trudeau said.

“Nobody thinks that Mr. Harper is actually doing this because he’s concerned about women’s rights or equality. That’s been clear from his stances on a wide range of subjects over the years.”

Trudeau didn’t hesitate when asked what he thought his father, a former prime minister who died in 2000, would have thought about how the niqab has become an election issue. He said Pierre Trudeau would “certainly would be dismayed that it’s consuming as much (energy) and is highlighting so much negativity.

“But I think he would relish the opportunity to talk about how Canada is a country built on respect for rights and freedoms.”

Pierre Trudeau is remembered by many as the federal leader who spearheaded the creation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the early 1980s.

“My father understood that one of the great strengths of this country is the fact that we do protect minority rights, we protect individual rights,” said the current Liberal leader.