You may recall that in April, I wrote a post about how Québec’s debate surrounding the Niqab had made the jump from Québec to English Canada.

You can read that post here:  The “reasonable accommodations” debate makes the leap from Québec to the rest of Canada

In the last post, I also wrote why I believe the Niqab debate has remained alive-and-well at the Federal level of debate in Québec.

Stemming from the French debate last week, this issue has once again made that major leap from Québec’s headlines to English Canada’s headlines.

There are only three weeks left in the election.  Considering the Conservatives presumably know they found a subject which strikes a chord on both sides of the linguistic line, the question will be if they will try to keep this topic alive in English Canada until the election, just as they have in Québec’s Federal scene.

Here are some examples of how, after the “leap from Québec”, this is once again gaining steam in English Canada as an election issue.  These are examples from just the last few days:

• CTV Winnipeg: Manitobans debate niqab ruling:  http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=569391

• The Globe and Mail:  Niqabs: The election’s weapon of mass distraction:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/editorials/niqabs-the-elections-weapon-of-mass-distraction/article26551328/

• Today’s CBC Analysis (an excellent read which I recommend to everyone):  The niqab debate, let’s not forget, is about individual rights:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-election-2015-niqab-neil-macdonald-1.3246179

• The Victoria colonist:  Green Leader Elizabeth May needles Harper on niqab:  http://www.timescolonist.com/news/national/green-leader-elizabeth-may-needles-harper-on-niqab-economy-anti-terror-bill-1.2068919

• St. Johns, The Telegram:  NDP leader moves to defuse niqab debate:  http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Regional/2015-09-24/article-4287209/Births-1847

As you can see, since the debates, this has once again become a headline-grabber right from Victoria in the West, to Winnipeg in the middle, and to St. John’s in the East.

Just what are the very latest stances from our federal party leaders?

Here is the low-down with rather new, up-to-date video — straight from the horses’ mouths:

Gilles Duceppe (in English):

Elizabeth May (This one is only in French.  May has seemingly tried to prevent this from becoming an election issue, and thus I cannot find video of her thoughts on the issue in English.  Nonetheless, when pushed hard by a rather well-known French-language political journalist for her thoughts on the issue itself, May had this to say… much in line with Mulcair.  Fast forward to 8:57):

http://ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/les-coulisses-du-pouvoir/2015-2016/segments/entrevue/3203/election-federale-elizabeth-may?isAutoPlay=1

Stephen Harper (in English):

I have saved what I believe is the best for last (at least from the standpoint of what is the most interesting).

Here are two men who are supposedly on the same side of the issue.

Yet their ability to enunciate and explain their positions to the public are like night and day.  (Kind of reminds me of the Seasame Street song:  Who are the better explainers in your neighbourhood…?  Oh, wait… That wasn’t the name of the song)

Thomas Mulcair (in English):

Justin Trudeau (in English):

From Québec, with Love!

See… I told you that membrane separating topics across the Two Solitudes is not impermeable.  But sometimes some of the topics which tend to cross it are not like a Happy New Years card crossing the country in the mail — although the latter is always nice to get 😉