The niqab has been a divisive issue during the federal election campaign, but a group in Winnipeg is using the debate to bring people together.
On Tuesday, the "My Canada Includes Muslims Event" attracted about 150 people, most of them from different backgrounds, to a mosque in the west end of the city.
The area is a melting pot of dozens of cultures, and attendees said Canadians should take pride in their diversity.
"It is just time for us all to stand up and make Canada into the country I was born into, which is positive and inclusive," said Karen Amirault.
Many attendees at the event stood along the road next to the mosque, showing their support with handmade signs.
Shaun Loney, one of the organizers of the rally, said it was time to show "the Muslim community some love."
"It's been a tough campaign," said Loney.
"(But) our Canada is not divisive -- it's inclusive."
The sentiment from attendees at the event is that the niqab -- the full face covering worn by a small number of Muslim Canadian women -- has become a wedge issue in the campaign.
"It is scary, the rhetoric that's been going on -- the fear mongering," said Nilufer Rahman.
Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe are in favour of prohibiting women from wearing the veil in citizenship ceremonies, while NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau have campaigned against such a ban.
However, Rahman added that she was moved by the turnout on Tuesday.
"It's kind of exciting and hopeful that the country is waking up," Rahman added.
Many of the attendees had never even stepped foot in a mosque before, but Loney says when they did they "found Canada."
Organizers are planning another rally on Saturday, two days before the election.
With a report from CTV鈥檚 Manitoba Bureau Chief Jill Macyshon
