Jason Kenney

Jason Kenney: At issue in the case is a 2011 directive by Jason Kenney, then immigration minister, requiring people taking the oath to show their faces, according to Hamilton Spectator. The court ruled that a ministerial directive could not override regulations that urge citizenship judges to make all possible efforts to accommodate religious beliefs. The explosive issue vaulted to the forefront of the campaign last week when the Federal Court of Appeal upheld a previous court ruling allowing Zunera Ishaq to take the oath without removing her niqab. Conservatives Stephen Harper government appealed the initial ruling, with Harper asserting that it "offensive" for someone to cover their face when joining the Canadian family. In the meantime, it is seeking a stay of last week ruling to ensure that Ishaq and women like her are unable to take the citizenship oath in time to vote in the Oct. 19 election. The government lost the appeal but is now seeking leave to appeal the matter further to the Supreme Court of Canada. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.