'They have realized it has gone too far'

A sovereigntist, and member of the Quebec National Assembly, says he doesn't recognize the Bloc Québécois anymore now that they've taken such a hard line stance against the niqab.

"I'm not recognizing the Bloc Québécois, it's not the same [party] that I used to see in the 2000s," Amir Khadir, a member of the left-wing Quebec solidaire party, said in an interview with Chris Hall on CBC Radio's The House. "When you're desperate you [adopt] these unprincipled attitudes."

• Tories will limit revoking of citizenship to 'violent acts of disloyalty,' Jason Kenney says 
• ANALYSIS | Conservatives crank up values clash by taking aim at 'barbaric cultural practices'
• Pregnant Muslim woman attacked by Montreal teens, police say
• Françoise David appeals for calm in debate over niqab

"They [used to] make specific outreach to immigrants, people of all origins, to say that our attachment to Quebec was not based on ethnicity, on identity, or religion, it was based on principles, values, our democratic values," and that sentiment has now disappeared with their recent turn towards anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Khadir said that while he is personally opposed to women wearing the niqab — he says the Federal Court has spoken on the issue and has cleared the way for women to fear the face covering at citizenship ceremonies.

"As a Muslim by birth, even if I'm not practicing, I, like 95 per cent of Muslims, I'm against the niqab. The niqab is truly a prison for women. But to make it a determinant [of your vote in this election] is just mind-boggling and would be truly damaging to the Canadian future."

Khadir says that the anti-immigrant sentiments that the Bloc and Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper have whipped up is a dangerous game to play and a move that is having a measurable impact on life in Quebec.

'They have realized it has gone too far'

"There is an upsurge, a rampage of hate, there is hate speech on social media, there have been racist attacks, hate crimes," Khadir said. "They have [to] realize it has gone too far."

A recent incident in Montreal, where a pregnant Muslim woman was pushed to the ground, her hijab head covering ripped off, is proof that anti-Islamic sentiments are rife in the Quebec, Khadir said. 

Françoise David, the co-leader of the Quebec solidaire, proposed a motion in the Quebec National Assembly Thursday calling for calm, and a denouncement of islamophobia in the province. The motion received unanimous support, including from the Parti Quebecois, which had proposed the Charter of Values during its last run at power in 2014. 

And while Khadir finds the focus on the niqab distasteful, he concedes that it has had a devastating impact on NDP Leader Tom Mulcair's standing in the polls.

"The NDP is encountering some difficulties in public opinion," Khadir said, referring to the nearly 17 per cent drop the NDP has seen in Quebec since the first French-language leaders' debate. But he hopes that Quebecers don't lose sight of the bigger picture — the state of Canada's economy. 

"I hope the citizens of my riding will vote based on what are the main issues [in] Canada. Our pension plan, public services, the integrity of our [tax] system, the rich aren't paying their fair share, the tar sands and the environment, these are the important things that we have to base our [vote] on," Khadir added.