Rancid Distraction Sauce

I didn't watch or listen to the Canadian debate tonight, as I was elsewhere.  But I got back in time to see people tweet that Harper raised the niqab issue in his final statement of the evening. 

This is obviously an effort to pander to the worst instincts of Canadians and especially Quebeckers since tonight was the French debate (for the non-Canadians, the leaders of the party have multiple debates with some in English and some in French). 

So, I asked on twitter the following:

Is Harper insulting Quebeckers by assuming that pandering

 to Islamophobia is his best bet in Quebec?

Pretty sure the answer is yes. And yes, this makes for a particularly bitter tasting distraction sauce.