It is one thing to dislike the niqab and burka and to criticize those who wear them (very very few in our society, in practice - keep that in mind) and the society they come from. A niqab or burka is a big public placard saying 'my culture believes that being a woman is shameful.'

But that is unrelated to denying a woman a public service (that she may have paid taxes to create) because she covers her face. Most public services do not demand photo identification - so why should she show her face? In the rare cases where photo ID is needed, she can unveil privately to prove who she is.

We should encourage all immigrants to integrate into our society. Better that the niqab-wearer be out in public than feel confined at home, whether by her husband or by her own 'modesty'. All the more for the citizenship oath: if a niqab-wearer wants to participate in Canadian life so much as to become a citizen, she should be encouraged, not sent away till she dresses as we prefer.