the focus on women is incidental due to the fact that niqab is worn by women, if men were prescribed by a religion to cover themselves in a same manner then it would have been them the focus of secular society dealing with a controversy over the identity verification, situations when children are picked up from school, or at the citizenship ceremony, border crossing, courts, hospitals, etc.
Different occasions require the proper attire. Same is applied to the private sector and various industries where companies have their own dressing code and standards on what is deemed appropriate and safe.

the question is not much about the sexes but rather what a secular institution such as the government considers appropriate dress code which does not interfere with neither the rights of the individual nor the ability for the public officials to carry out their work according to the set protocols.

Thus it is a discussion, in theory, about the kind of accommodations , such as a dress code, that both the public and the private interests have to make in order to establish a symbiotic relationship between the group(s), i.e. governments, business, religions, and the individual(s), i.e. women, men, children.

The point is that regardless if one group requires for its members to be covered or it is a whim of personal fancy, women and men alike, the government, as any other institution, secular at that, has to find a way to satisfy its own demands for impartial representation of its members along with the necessary security procedures, thus if a particular group follows what is considered to be a repressive practice in the civil and democratic society it is therefore the government's duty to uphold the established popular social norms, morals, and ethics, and not to allow the repressive customs to be imported at the cost of personal freedom and dignity of the citizens, after all, religion is a matter of personal choice and should not dictate the public policy which effects all.

Besides the point, it is unhealthy to breathe the exhaled air. This barbaric practice should not be allowed in Canada. The women are forced by the religious obligation, obviously. It is time for Canada to help the refugees from those repressive religious states to finally breathe freely by not endorsing the outdated harmful cultural practices.

The focus is on the fact that many Muslim women have to wear the niqab, even if they don't want to, and the associated cultural oppression of human rights in a secular democratic society where they shouldn't feel forced to hide themselves if they chose so.

As for showing yourself, that's another point of how the government provides safety without discrimination, yet follows the established protocols, which in the case of elections, one can vote wearing a clown mask or a paper bag, or vote by mail remotely, as far as i am aware the security procedures for ID verification by the Elections Canada are very loose and are not consistent.

 "Its FORCED attire and cover-up by MUSLIM males. Covert abuse, MUTILATIONS, FORCED ISOLATION.

I don't think a valid point is politics. Harper should be ousted. He has been very racist to FIRST NATIONS people but this point is valid I believe. I used to manage a large store. A group of women, educated, MUSLIM, living in IRAN...came in
Lovely. They said how OPPRESSIVE the new rules were, abuse to women. FORCED to wear attire or be beaten, killed. Education was no longer advocates, even allowed. Women were babymakers now. Sex toys of carousing double standard, vindictive males.
Under the auspecies and rationale of FUNDAMENTAL MUSLIM PRINCIPLES. 
SORRY. OPPRESSION TO WOMEN IS DEPLORABLE. DONT DEFEND ABUSE. DO YOU THINK THEY HAVE A VOICE? Don't be ridiculous and embrace the male dominated often radical MUSLIM abuse to women."

(via Marguerite Ciofani)

"To an LGBT woman, the niqab debate sounds mighty familiar - Chatelaine"
http://www.chatelaine.com/living/to-an-lgbt-woman-the-niqab-debate-sounds-mighty-familiar/

Not so simple. The Muslim women are obligated to wear a niqab, thus they have to breathe the exhaled air, which is not healthy, by the same oppressive religious prescription which denies the LGBT community their rights, with the government officials are obligated to do their job impartially while respecting the human rights of all citizens, residents, and visitors.