It's not just remembrance.
The poppy is a symbol of remembrance that’s supposed to transcend political tiffs, honouring those who sacrificed their lives to ensure Canada’s continued existence. And yet, to some judges in the country, it’s now considered so political that it must be banned from the courtroom.
Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan are the prime offenders. In Nova Scotia, “all judges and staff are expected not to wear any symbols of support in the courtroom” as a matter of neutrality, according to spokesperson Andrew Preeper. The Nova Scotia courts consider the poppy to violate that rule.
“Staff who wished to wear poppies in the courtroom were advised to speak with the presiding judge and conversations, as needed, have occurred around that specific topic. It is within the discretion of the presiding judge,” he added. It was reported earlier that sheriffs were ordered not to wear them, and that clerks had to receive permission.
Preeper did not answer whether the poppy ban applied to lawyers appearing before the court; it was permitted for members of the public, however.
He cited the Canadian Judicial Council’s ethics guidelines on neutrality as support for this rule, which state that “visible symbols of support” should not be worn by judges. However, these standards do not expressly prohibit the poppy, nor do they apply to counsel appearing before the court.
It’s a similar story in Saskatchewan. There, a Crown prosecutor earlier this week was ordered not to wear a poppy in the Court of King’s Bench. She told CBC that the reason given was that poppy-wearing “may open the flood gates to other items being worn on our gowns.” ...
The courts, oddly enough, are perfectly fine engaging in what most would consider political speech on other topics, however. Nova Scotia’s highest court “welcomes” lawyers to introduce themselves with their pronouns, and suggests for use the title “Mx.”; so does King’s Bench in Saskatchewan and all of Ontario’s courts. In B.C.’s provincial court, the rule is that lawyers “should” provide pronouns before speaking. At the Federal Court, meanwhile, there is actually a land acknowledgment policy, allowing “parties, counsel and witnesses” to state their position on Canadian sovereignty.
So, while some courts are actively soliciting pronoun declarations — a new convention on the left — they are also banning a longstanding symbol of heritage and personal sacrifice. These are institutions that are supposed to act as society’s moral arbiters, capable of drawing fine lines between right and wrong. If they can’t get it right on the poppy, they shouldn’t be surprised when Canadian society stops trusting them on bigger questions.
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