By Gian Singh Sandhu, WSO International President
“Traditions are worth keeping, but they are best kept up to date with the changing face of Canada,” Maxwell Yalden, Chief Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Ottawa”.
As long time members of the Canadian community (dating back nearly one hundred years), the Sikhs have been crucial to the development of British Columbia, particularly playing an important role in all sectors of our economy.
It is indeed a tragedy when an entire group of people are virtually erased from British Colombian history at the strike of someone’s pen. Perhaps if the sacrifices that they had made for the building of our nation had not been so strong, the outrage would not have been as great.
The contribution for the Sikhs to this great country cannot be denied, nor can the rights which they claim under the Canadian Chanter of Rights and Freedoms. To use tradition as the reason to deny the Sikhs their rights to practice their religion while participating in one of the basic institutions of this country is to be blind to the realities of the time,
Anbur Drake of the Ottawa Citizen (Dec. 5, 1989) may have been correct in noting that “his professed desire to preserve tradition is simply a facade to try to ensure that Sikhs cannot join the force: a simple matter of racist prejudice. It’s likely that if the “traditionalists” could come up with a reason, they would like to ensure that no nonwhites are members of the force.”
Toronto Star Editorial, Oct. 26, 1989, while strongly recommending the acceptance of the turban, states “surely the traditions of other cultures can be accommodated in Canada, particularly when they don’t interfere with the job at hand, as is the case of turbans and policing,” Let us not be misled by this statement -the Sikh turban is not a traditional requirement, but a religious one, as fundamental as the ten commandments are to a Christian, or the abstinence from eating pork is to a Jew or Muslim,
In Sikh philosophy and practice, the keeping of unshorn hair means that the Sikhs live in and resign themselves to the will of God. In order to keep the hair intact and tidy, and to maintain sanctity, the turban has been prescribed by the Sikh tenets. This is not unlike the stipulation that was made in 1 Corinthians when as per the Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible, it was said, “every woman that or prophesied with her head uncovered dishonored her head.” (1.Cor. 11:3-9) Although there only the woman was required (o cover her head, and then only at the time of prayer, the Sikhs, who believe in the fundamental equality of men and women, deem it necessary for both sexes (0 cover their heads, not only at the moment of prayer, as in a church, but at all times, for the Lord resides everywhere.
From this religious stipulation, it is seen that, “a traditional Sikh’s turban. (is) not ceremonial. It’s a requirement of their religion, not an option. It has nothing to do with ceremonial occasions as many people have been led to believe.” (Saskatoon star Phoenix, Nov. 28, 1989).
Permitting turbaned Sikhs to enter the R.C.M.P should be recognized as a step forward for Canada, rather than a detriment which many would lead us to believe. Mr. Joseph J. Wilder, Q.C., Chairman of the Joint Community Relations Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress, in his letter to the Honorable Pierre Blais, Nov. 13, 1989, wrote, “permitting observant Sikhs to wear the turban as R.C.M.P. officers would be an affirmation of our commitment to the noble experiment which is multiculturalism, Further, through the experience of turbaned RCMP officers, Canada could provide no better symbol of the hope for a world where one can maintain ‘ones differences while at one and the same time forging a global village based on commonality of interest.”
If leading Canadian journalists and religious leaders have en masse recommended such changes, the position taken by some uninformed or ignorant individuals certainly appears to be antiquated. If there is any tradition at stake by accepting changes to the RCMP uniform, then pro-tradition forces lost their case many times over during the past century (see attached appendix outlining changes to the RCMP uniform since its inception). “The fundamental tradition of importance to Canada’s police force is to uphold the law.” (Edmonton Journal, supra) This is the only tradition which should be of concern in today’s Canada.
The RCMP is a fine Canadian institution, and Canadians are justifiably proud of this force, however, it would be totally wrong and insulting to the RCMP to suggest that the fond feelings towards the RCMP are attributable to their colorful ceremonial attire. RCMP is a highly trained and dedicated professional organization, and their reputation is a result of years of commitment and service to the nation.
Mark Lisak of the Edmonton Journal in his editorial of Nov. 2, 1989, while commenting on the government’s multiculturalism policy, very aptly stated that “supporting the Sikhs would be the fastest, cheapest, clearest way of showing what this vision means.” We, therefore, hope that the Solicitor General Pierre Blais would recognize the necessity of integrating the Sikhs into mainstream society. It is only when we accommodate all individuals regardless of their religious beliefs that we can move forward as a Nation.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 26, 1990
