Stockwell Day Supports Blaney Bill To Hassle Muslim Women

At this point I also intend to support a new Private Member's Bill from MP Stephen Blaney. It would require anyone voting in a federal election to not have their face covered for identification purposes.

Note the touch of equivocation in this, however. I suspect the Tories will let the bill die quietly, as they have all earlier legislative attempts in this direction. Its flaws are quite fatal, and if the government really did what was necessary to make it even marginally sane (by requiring photo ID to vote for everyone)...well that would be a hassle to non-Muslims, wouldn't it? And to solve a problem--vote fraud--that doesn't really exist in this country.

Repeat After Me

Minister Kenny on Blaney's "veiled voter" legislation, which he finds "reasonable":

“I believe in personal liberty, even if I find some expressions of personal liberty a bit peculiar. I don’t think we should be regulating what people wear but when a citizen comes to deal with the government, particularly to exercise their right to vote, I think it’s entirely reasonable that we say we need to confirm who you are and a facial identification is a reasonable way of doing that.”

1) Showing your face does not "confirm who you are" if you aren't required to produce a photo ID. The Blaney Bill does not require you to produce a photo ID. Hence it fails in its (apparently) intended purpose.

2) If you really wanted to exercise a ballot not your own, you would do it by using the mail-in option, which, once again, the Blaney Bill does nothing to deal with.

Very simple really.