Says he may introduce legislation to ensure workers’ right to wear poppies for Remembrance Day
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, along with other Canadian stakeholders, has condemned the action of a judge in the province who banned employees from wearing poppies in court facilities.
In a post on social media platform X, Houston shared that there was an order issued prohibiting individuals working in certain court facilities from wearing poppies while on duty in those locations.
“This order was issued under the guise that the poppy is somehow a ‘political statement’,” he says. “This is disgusting.”
He adds that the poppy “is not a political statement.”
“It is a symbol of remembrance and respect for the fallen and those who served and continue to serve our country. Poppies have been worn in Canada since 1921,” he says.
“We have courts and a democracy because of the courage of those who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of, and in defence of, the very rights and freedoms we enjoy.”
Legislation for Remembrance Day
Houston did not specify the name of the judge who gave the order. Meanwhile, Andrew Preeper, a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia courts, says that no conversations about poppies occurred in the courtroom, according to a report from the National Post.
“Nor did a judge ban poppies from the courtroom,” he says, according to the report.
Still, Houston notes that he might push for legislation to ensure workers’ rights to wear poppies in the workplace.
“If necessary, I will introduce The Nova Scotia Remembrance Observance Act that will enshrine the right to wear a poppy in the workplace from November 1 to November 11,” he says.
Nearly nine in 10 (86.6 per cent) working women have experienced “Tall Poppy Syndrome” – where people are attacked, resented, disliked, criticized, or cut down because of their achievements or success, according to a previous report from Women of Influence+.
Judges back ban on poppies
Meanwhile, Deborah Smith, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and Perry Borden, chief judge of the Provincial Court, jointly defended the discretion of judges to restrict poppy wearing in courtrooms, according to a report from Global News.
“The wearing of a poppy symbolizes our respect for those who have served, and those who did not return,” the judges state.
However, they emphasised that “the decision of a judge not to allow symbols of support such as the poppy to be worn by court staff is not intended, in any way, to undermine or diminish the tremendous respect that we have for those who have served, and those who have died. It is to ensure that all Canadians know that they are entering an unbiased and neutral space when they enter a courtroom.”
The judges illustrated their concern with an example: if a non-veteran is on trial for assaulting a veteran, seeing courtroom staff adorned with poppies could create a perception of bias. This, they argue, is why the Canadian Judicial Council advises judges to avoid “statements or visible symbols of support, particularly in the context of court proceedings.”
Remembrance Day is not a statutory holiday in Ontario, “which is controversial, and some employers still give employees the day off,” according to Kiljon Shukullari, HR advisory manager at consultancy firm Peninsula.
The poppy is a “powerful symbol of Remembrance,” according to advocacy group Legion.
“The significance of the Poppy can be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars in the 19th century, over 110 years before being adopted in Canada. Records from that time indicate that thick poppies grew over the graves of soldiers in Flanders, France. Fields that had been barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.”
