The ban would apply to the full-body veil known as the burqa or niqab. This is not an article of clothing — it is a mask, a mask worn at all times, making identification or participation in economic and social life virtually impossible.
Jean-Francois CopeThere has been a banking crisis, a financial crisis, an economic crisis, a social crisis, a geostrategic crisis and an environmental crisis. That's considerable in a country that's used to being protected.
Jean-Francois CopeIf you meet a woman in a burqa, she can't reply to your smile. It's a denial of identity.
Jean-Francois Cope