According to the law as it stands, each voter wishing to vote must establish that he or she is entitled to vote. That involves two elements: you must 18 years of age and be a Canadian citizen. If the returning officer has some doubt with regard to either one of these two conditions, he or she may ask the person wishing to vote to swear an oath. In September, we set up a procedure to be followed to establish if a person whose face is covered, for whatever reason, should be allowed to vote. Basically, as I stated, when you see a person whose face is covered or hidden, that should cause you to wonder. The person must be invited to show their face or to swear an oath. This is the procedure that was followed for the by-elections in September. Obviously, Bill C-6 would change this process and establish clearly that everyone would have to show his or her face.
On December 4th, 2007. See this statement in context.