The cultural mosaic

Almost every weekday, Rita Celli, the host of the noon hour CBC Radio program, initiates dialogues with her listeners on an interesting topic. This is the very best kind of talk radio, because Rita Celli does not shy away from controversial or highly sensitive subjects. Indeed I believe she deliberately selects sensitive and controversial topics. She is an excellent journalist, knows how to ask questions, how to draw out from the people she interviews the responses that they are sometimes reluctant to provide. As moderator of these daily discussions, she generally preserves her impartiality and equanimity Today she invited her listeners to comment on the announcement by the minister of citizenship and immigration, that women taking the oath of Canadian citizenship would no longer be permitted to do so while their face is concealed by a niqab. The topic of the niqab has come up before in other contexts, for instance in relation to the photo ID requirement for passports and driver's licences. As usual, today's program generated a lively discussion and as usual I was full of admiration for Rita Celli's tact and skill in the face of a few very emotionally fraught comments. On the whole, however, I thought the discussion illustrated very well the cultural mosaic of this wonderful country of Canada and the tolerance that Canadians in general mostly have for cultures and customs different from their own. I found myself in full agreement with one listener's comment that the Minister's decision to ban the niqab at citizenship ceremonies was a demonstration of the meretricious behaviour of the present government which encourages divisive and intolerant conduct   Today's discussion was another vivid demonstration that Wendy and I made the right choice when we chose Canada rather than the USA as the country in which to raise our children.