Recon Rover
Warlord
If you had a serious disease, or a medical condition that would put stress on the healthcare system it's unlikely you would be admitted entry to Canada in the first place.
The immigrant really has no right to protest.
Canada has the reputation for being one of the most welcoming countries in the world, though.
All they really ask of the immigrant is that they become Canadian.
Yet you agreed with Flying Pig and said a "deformitydisfigurement" covering mask would be acceptable, then implied you would be a monster if you didn't think so. Flying Pig was pretty quick on the uptake in equating the concern about outward appearance being a preference, perhaps one extremely deeply held, but a preference nonetheless. It wouldn't be a "medical consideration" unless you're shoehorning it in as one since you find it more palatable.
But maybe Canada should consider being a little more thoughtful, and understand that some concessions are not the end of democracy, and will ease the immigrant into the transition rather than make it harder.
That can be a bit ugly when 'become Canadian' is essentially code for 'be white and Christian'. I would suggest that the sort of sentiments that Warpus is coming out with often end up disguising just that idea.
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Extenuating medical circumstances are valid exceptions for almost every single law I can think of.
That's what we're talking about, right? Someone's face being burned, preventing them from removing their facial covering? Why wouldn't that be a valid exception to this law?
If we're just talking about someone who is super ugly, then.. I don't know? It doesn't seem like a valid exception to me - but perhaps a psychologist would be able to better answer that than me.
"If anyone wants to become Canadian, they need to accept some of our values and not cover their face during certain important processes, such as the swearing in ceremony." = "White power!"
No, we were talking about somebody whose face had been dismantled, burned, blasted and so on to the point that they wear a covering because they're fed up of being stared at in the street and having parents usher their children away - I know quite a few people like that personally. As you rightly said, it would be extremely cruel to ask somebody like that - say a war veteran with an eyepatch to hide a particularly gruesome facial wound - to humiliate themselves needlessly during a public ceremony. That's not a matter of being 'just super ugly' at all.
Why does covering the face matter?
I put it to you that nobody in Canada even though about it until they realised that Muslim women cover their faces.
Incidentally, when you say 'our values', whose values, precisely, are those?
A common question is this: If I wanted to immigrate to Saudi Arabia and go out among the populace, I'd damn well better cover up, right? Since that's what is expected of females there...
I'd say the key difference is that Saudi Arabians aren't patting themselves on the back for the free society they have created at the same time that they are demanding conformity to their customs. That seems to be a more North American approach.
I think there's no need for this for a swearing-in ceremony, but for a passport photo or a mugshot, you do actually have to show your face.
It's a very important ceremony for many immigrants and Canadians alike. These ceremonies are highly cherished and often publicized in Canada.
Really? All I did for my USA(#1) citizenship was pass a test and swear that I'm loyal.
I dunno, I think it's a sign of respect saying she doesn't have to.
What is intrinsically "Canadian" about an uncovered face? (Easier to get donuts in, apologise unnecessarily, and watch hockey I'd imagine.)I think that if you want to come to Canada and become a Canadian, you need to be ready to incorporate some of our cultural norms and expectations into your daily life - such as the community-based aspect of the society we have here and want to maintain. Covering your face except for your eyes during the swearing in ceremony should as such not be acceptable, as it is not compatible with our values.
However, it's fine to wear a head covering - I don't have a problem with that. What's a big "no no" in my eyes is a face covering. That's just not compatible with Canadian ideals - it's something you need to accept if you want to become a citizen. And if you don't want to, that's fine, just don't apply for Canadian citizenship. It's up to the person - let them make that decision. What's more important to them - wanting to become a Canadian or their reasons for wanting to cover their face?
What is intrinsically "Canadian" about an uncovered face?
What is intrinsically "Canadian" about an uncovered face? (Easier to get donuts in, apologise unnecessarily, and watch hockey I'd imagine.)