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Both the opposition leaders have refused to play identity politics, despite polls suggesting that many voters, particularly in Quebec, believe that reasonable accommodation has gone too far.

The Prime Minister, on the other hand, has flirted with values politics, saying his government will appeal a court ruling that allowed Muslim women to take the citizenship oath without removing the niqab, the religious garment that leaves only the eyes exposed. Citizenship and Immigration minister, Chris Alexander, a former ambassador to Afghanistan, has gone further, suggesting that Muslim women should not be allowed to take the oath while wearing the hijab, which covers the head but not the face.

But by refusing to condone the judge’s decision in the Quebec Court case, the Conservatives appear to have reasoned that they would have a hard time defending her actions. Judge Eliana Marengo told Rania El-Alloul, a single mother trying to retrieve her car, that she was not suitably dressed. “Decorum is important. Hats and sunglasses, for example, are not allowed and I don’t see why scarves on the head would be,” she said.

Hats and sunglasses, for example, are not allowed and I don’t see why scarves on the head would be

Canadian courts have had problems with witnesses who wear the niqab, on the basis that an accused’s rights might be infringed if the witness’s face could not be seen. But no judge has, to this point, blocked someone wearing religious headgear on the basis of “decorum.”

The Bloc Québécois, about whom you won’t have heard much since they drifted into footnotoriety after the last election, have no qualms about fanning sectarian flames. The party has released an ad targeting NDP supporters unhappy with Mr. Mulcair’s comments defending a woman’s right to wear the niqab at citizenship ceremonies.