Roundup: A new member of the Canadian Family

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Zunera Ishaq, the woman who challenged the niqab ban at citizenship ceremonies, took her oath yesterday with her face veiled, and the sky did not fall. And while Muslim immigrants question their faith in Canada, Ishaq is now free to cast her ballot to exercise her rights as a Canadian citizen.

On the campaign:

  • The Conservatives released their platform today. (PDF here).
  • The NDP also released their platform, but to be fair, theirs was out first by a couple of hours. (PDF here).
  • Justin Trudeau promised that his middle-class tax cut would be the first bill his government would introduce, and later promised more help for Northerners.

Good reads:

  • Mark Kennedy’s sit-down with Harper reiterated his new talking point – that the election is not really about him, despite his personal brand all over it. (Q&A here).
  • There were plenty of line-ups for advance polls in Ottawa yesterday, and across the country.
  • It looks like there will be a number of side deals to accompany the TPP.
  • Trudeau lashed out at the government over the refugee “audit” issue, saying that it was “disgusting” for the PMO to try and use the refugees to find families suite for photo ops.
  • Kevin Milligan gives his assessment of the Conservatives’ platform costing.
  • Philippe Lagassé cuts through some of the confusion around the Caretaker Convention.
  • Your long-weekend long read on the heroes of October 22nd, one year later.
  • Kate Heartfield warns against starting a culture war for political gain.
  • Susan Delacourt wonders if the Conservatives have changed since 2004, or if Canada changed instead.

Odds and ends:

The RCMP are now investigating the leaks in Citizenship and Immigration.

The new passport application system has been suspended after glitches and security gaps came to light. Gosh, you think?

Oh, and the size of the Syrian refugee backlog at Citizenship and Immigration? About 7,500 files.

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/652540805991804929

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/652543234854490113

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