Should we extend the ban on burkas and other face coverings beyond citizenship swearing-in ceremonies, as some Muslims are asking of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney? Yes.

What the Muslim Canadian Congress is asking for is federal legislation making people remove any face covering when working in the public sector or doing business with government officials. More or less like Quebec’s Bill 94, which was introduced almost two years ago, with the support of the province’s largest women’s group.

As Premier Jean Charest explained at the time: That bill is “a symbol of affirmation and respect — first of all, for ourselves, and also for those to whom we open our arms. This is not about making our home less welcoming, but about stressing the values that unite us.” And two fundamental values that have to be respected are the equality between men and women, and the secular nature of public institutions.

The Muslim Canadian Congress is not asking Jason Kenney to consider banning the burka or the niqab from the streets. It’s only asking for the current ban on face coverings to be expanded to public-sector jobs and dealings with government officials. Kenney said he was prepared to consider the suggestion, and added that he didn’t see the existing ban to be controversial, and neither do Canadians. In fact, his recent move to ban face coverigns from swearing-in ceremonies is supported by 81% of us.

I would like to see the existing ban expanded. I might even push it all the way to a full ban on veils and other face coverings, like they have in France. I don’t have a problem with head scarves. But I draw the line at the niqab and the burka. I don’t care what your religion is – in a free and open society like Canada, honest people show their faces when they interact with one another.

It’s not about religion, it’s about culture. In this country, men and women are treated equally under the law, and both go about their business in public the same way. Our behaviour should reflect that. We shouldn’t settle for anything less.