Canada is not a religion; it's a country

Rick Salutin on weaing a niqab while taking the oath to become a Canadian citizen. If the clip above doesn't work, look here.

 Here are some thoughts he shares, worth thinking about: 

• people say the niqab doesn't reflect Canadian values but citizenship isn't about sharing particular values, it's about sharing the country.
• his grandfather, Himan Salutin, couldn't have been a citizen if he had to share Canadian values of his time; he was an anarchist, He came here from Russia in 1910 and went on strike immediately. That's way he was seen as unCanadian.
• Women who wanted the vote were out of step with Canadian values, too.
• Today's ultimate Canadian value, medicare, was denounced as unCanadian when it was  introduced.
• Canadian values are always going through change. If they weren't, Canada would be a religion, not a country.
• People who don't share majority values, play an important part, even if they never ask to. Sometimes they help change those values; other times, they help cement them.