The Communist Party of Canada expresses deep dismay at the attempts to whip up racism and xenophobia around the rights of veiled Muslim women to vote in upcoming federal by-elections. Unlike the Harper Tories and the other parties represented in Parliament, which have all jumped on this issue in an opportunist manner, the Communist Party condemns the bigots who are waging this campaign, and defends the right of Muslim women who choose to wear the veil to cast their ballots.

            Having been forced to defend the democratic and electoral rights of our Party and of all Canadians on many occasions since the 1920s, we are acutely aware of the need to protect the voting system. But this issue has the earmarks of a “manufactured” crisis, since there is no indication that significant numbers of women wearing veils will arrive at the polls. The Harper Tories – who have done more to attack women’s equality than any government in recent history – are pushing this non-issue in an effort to portray themselves as opponents of gender oppression.

            In fact, the current rules adopted by Parliament do not require government-issued photo identification. This is important since many eligible voters do not have such photo ID – for example, those who do not have drivers’ licenses. For this reason, the Canada Elections Act provides that such voters may receive their ballots by showing two pieces of identification approved by the Chief Electoral Officer, as long as one shows their address, or by having another voter vouch for them if each swears an oath. As the Sept. 12 editorial in the Globe and Mail says, “If the system for verifying a voter’s identity with written identification or sworn statements is considered good enough for other Canadians, it should be good enough for those who cover their faces for religious reasons.”

            The decision by Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand to permit veiled women to vote as long as their identity can be confirmed is therefore not a special exception, but simply the application of the current law. Other eligible voters – those living temporarily abroad who vote by mail – do not have to show their faces. Prime Minister Harper and the leaders of the Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois and the NDP are all aware of these facts, and we condemn their cowardly statements on this matter.

            However, the Communist Party of Canada points to a very real and increasingly serious danger to the voting system: the restriction of access to the ballot through the disenfranchisement of many eligible voters, especially tenants, students living away from home, youth who do not yet have photo IDs, and people who are homeless or transient. Instead of addressing the problems with the permanent voters list by going back to door-to-door enumeration (which was far more comprehensive and accurate), Parliament is moving in the opposite direction. Restricting access to the ballot denies the fundamental democratic right to vote, especially for the growing numbers of Canadians who live in poverty.  The Harper government has indicated that it will seize on the “veil” issue to introduce legislation making photo ID mandatory for voting, adding to the hundreds of thousands already excluded from the voters’ list – most of whom, of course, do not back right-wing parties.

            This process will further erode the electoral system, which is already deeply compromised by such flaws as the near-complete media blackout against smaller parties, and the unconstitutional denial of federal funding for parties which do not reach the arbitrary 2% threshold of voter support. The Communist Party has repeatedly raised these issues in recent years, and we will continue to campaign for the expansion of voter rights and electoral democracy.

            Finally, we warn that the hysterical campaign against Muslim women is part of a wider agenda to restrict the privacy rights of all Canadians, in the name of the so-called “war on terror.” Already, for example, the government is moving towards mandatory retinal scans at airports, which will no doubt be followed by similar “security” measures at government offices and other “sensitive” facilities.

            The Communist Party of Canada calls on all democratically-minded Canadians to reject the increasing attacks on democracy, electoral rights, and privacy. We urge Parliament to reject the calls by bigots for amendments to the Elections Act which will restrict the voting rights of Muslim women, and instead to take steps to make it easier for all Canadians to take part in the electoral process.

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For more information, contact Miguel Figueroa, Communist Party leader, at figueroa@cpc-pcc.ca or by telephone at 416-469-2446 (office).

Central Executive Committee,

Communist Party of Canada

Sept. 12, 2007