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True patriot love

ONE of the traits that define our nation is that we are tolerant of the beliefs and practices of those who settle here from afar.

ONE of the traits that define our nation is that we are tolerant of the beliefs and practices of those who settle here from afar.

So it's jarring how abruptly Immigration Minister Jason Kenney ruled that women who wear the niqab or the burka must uncover their faces if they take the oath of citizenship.

Nevertheless, Kenney is right. Nobody is forced to become a Canadian citizen, and seeking out citizenship signals that the applicant is willing, eager even, to adapt to certain practices of his or her new home.

In Canada, there are some times when you have to show your face: applying for a driver's licence or testifying in court, for example. There's no point in swearing a legal oath in a public place if no one can see you doing it, or even be entirely sure who you are.

If there's a complaint against Kenney, it's that he made no allowance for people already in the citizenship process who believed they could take the oath with a covered face. There's a certain bait-and-switch element to this, and offering a little lead time might have been a more respectful approach.

Landed immigrants still enjoy all the freedoms and almost all of the rights guaranteed to those born in Canada. The right to vote, to hold office and carry a Canadian passport are easily taken for granted - when you have them. But citizenship is a valuable thing, and aspiring new Canadians must weigh that value against observing every tenet of their faith and culture.