well, duceppe won the debate, hands down. trudeau sounded like a robot (although he still has the best platform, sadly). i think mulcair got hit pretty badly by duceppe on a few points.

i couldn't see it swinging anybody between the ndp and the liberals - it just cements the same narrative of mulcair having more experience and talent but being wrong all of the time and trudeau having no idea what he's talking about, but reciting lines that make a lot of sense. harper & may largely don't matter. but, this was about as well as the bloc could have hoped for.

i have to say i missed duceppe. he always had his own angle. harper seemed pleasantly amused too; i actually bet he enjoyed that.

i'm not calling it. too delicate. but, here we go: now the election really starts.

www.cbc.ca/news/politics/french-language-debate-five-party-leaders-1.3242417

regarding the "issue"...

i've been just trying hard to figure out why anybody cares. but, i'm ducking the question.

i agree with both sides, in varying amounts. is the niqab a symbol of oppression? yes. but, so is a bra. and, we all accept that a woman gets to decide if she wants to wear a bra or not, regardless of the history of the article of clothing.

i don't see any ground swell of muslim women rising up to demand that the state intervene in their right to choose their own clothing. i think everybody else needs to take a step back and ask what right they have to determine anybody else's oppression

the day i see public niqab burnings is the day i know there's an issue here that requires some solidarity.

Myopinion
I respect people’s rights to wear whatever the hell they wish but I do have a problem with the nijab. To women of Muslim culture and religion the nijab means one thing (I get that) but in the west it is a totally different reality. The death to America and its alliances mantra is becoming all too real. When ISIS fighters, dressed in garbs concealing their faces (Jihadi) John, and beheading people on TV happened, the nijab became a new reality for me. If I find myself in public places with someone wearing a nijab, I get the hell out of that place as quickly as I can. I am not trying to sound intolerant but I become fearful when I am around people whose faces are concealed. As a Canadian I should have the right to feel safe in public and not anxiously look for the nearest exit out of fear that my life could become endangered in that moment. I am sure I would not be allowed to take my citizenship ceremony in a Halloween mask or KKK outfit so why is the nijab be acceptable?

jessica murray
well, see, i don't see any reason why you should be banned from taking your citizenship ceremony in a halloween costume. in fact, i beg that the experiment be attempted, as i expect it will face no opposition.

i find people with beards scary. i'm not sure why. i think it might be because my dad had a beard when my parents divorced, and he may have been a little scary for awhile, and then coincidentally went back to not being scary when his beard was shaved. but, the details of my psychological difficulties with bearded people are long and arduous, and i wish not to bore you with their long-windedness.

does that mean i should be able to demand everybody shave?

talk about unreasonable accommodation. yeesh.

i want spiderman to crash that citizenship ceremony in style!