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This is something you might expect the left-most candidate to lead the left-most party in the House of Commons to oppose unambiguously. Niki Ashton’s campaign promises to end “the oppression of racialized communities,” tackle “Islamophobia, anti-black racism, and violence towards Indigenous peoples” and address “intersecting oppressions” as well.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

But no. In a statement to Huffington Post this week, Ashton said “there is no justification where (sic) a government should tell a woman, or anyone, what they should wear and what they shouldn’t wear.”

“That being said…”

Those three words lit a match, and the tire fire is still burning. (Ashton was not available for an interview, according to her campaign.)

“There is a consensus in (sic) Quebec’s political leaders emerging on secularism,” the statement continued, “and the Canadian government should respect the will of Quebecers on this matter.” It must also “respect” the “widely different … place” religion has “held in Quebec since the Quiet Revolution.”

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This is a standard defence: it’s not about Islam per se; it’s about a general mistrust of all religion that Quebecers came by honestly under the Pope’s boot heel. It’s hopelessly transparent rubbish. The crucifix hanging over the speaker’s chair in the National Assembly is the most obvious giveaway, but there’s another whopper near to hand: Bill 62 places no restrictions on providing or receiving public services while wearing any religious garment or symbol other than the niqab. How very odd.