Federal Public Service and Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: But they struggled to explain why wearing the face-covering veil is no big deal in other spheres of life, including the federal public service, if -- as Prime Minister Stephen Harper maintains -- it contrary to Canadian values and "rooted in a culture that is anti-women.", according to CTV. "That doesn't mean that you can impose that view in the workplace or in the private sphere. The one place where I think we have a right and an obligation to stress Canadian values is in the act of obtaining one citizenship." - Federal Conservatives scrambled Wednesday to clarify that their aversion to Muslim women wearing the niqab applies strictly to citizenship ceremonies. "That is what the prime minister said and that is a point of view that one can hold," said Treasury Board President Tony Clement, who is responsible for federal civil service. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.