OTTAWA: The Royal Canadian Mointed Police Commissioner Norman Inkster told the justice committee in the House of Commons on June 14 he recognizes that allowing Sikh Mounties to wear turbans tether than the traditional hats would be controversial, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
“No one in this room or in Canada is more proud of the traditions of the RCMP that] am,” Inkster testified, “But the face of Canada is changing.”
Some of those new faces in Canada are Sikhs and their religion requires adult males to wear turbans, beards and ceremonial daggers at all times and regardless of their occupation.
This means that strict Sikh adherents cannot become Mounties until the force changes its dress code, allowing the wear of turbans.
Inkster said he has recommended the force change that policy and that to do otherwise would probably be in breach of human rights legislation forbidding religious discrimination.
The minister is under pressure from many Albertans including some members of the Tory caucus. to keep turbans out of the RCMP because they do not match the traditional image people have Mounties.
Three Calgary sisters, Gen Kantelberg, Dot Miles and Kay Mansbridge, have collected more than 8,000 signatures on petitions protesting the proposal to allow the wearing of turbans by on duty Mounties.
“This touches a very deep nerve,” said Ken Hughes, Conservative MP from the Alberta of Macleod.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 23, 1989
