Green Party casts vote for an end to political meddling in Elections Canada

OTTAWA – The Green Party today called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to call off his vendetta against Elections Canada and to stop trying to score cheap political points with the trumped-up Muslim veils controversy.

"This is a non-issue," said Green Party leader Elizabeth May, "and the leaders of the Opposition Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois should be ashamed at the way they have been drawn into the Prime Minister's cynical game."

Ms. May said that the Chief Electoral Officer, Marc Mayrand, was merely enforcing the existing rules when he said that Muslim women who wear veils or hijabs to polling stations cannot be prevented from voting. The new rules set out three options for voters at the polls and only one requires photo identification. Although Mr. Mayrand warned several months ago that the new rules would allow people to vote without uncovering their faces, Parliament approved them anyway.

"Mr. Harper is misleading Canadians when he accuses the Chief Electoral Officer of 'subverting the will of Parliament'," said Ms. May. "It turns out that Mr. Meyrand is the only one who seems determined to uphold the will of Parliament, as expressed in its decision to pass the new electoral law with these rules in place.

"Canada is still a democracy. If the Prime Minister decides that he doesn't like a law that has been passed by our elected representatives, then he must present a bill to Parliament seeking to amend that law.

"Using his bully pulpit to try to intimidate a senior public servant who is just upholding the law is not just undemocratic, it's un-Canadian."