OTTAWA, Canada—The World Sikh Organization of Canada is disappointed by the RCMP’s refusal to accommodate bearded Sikh officers. The officers have been removed from frontline policing duties since March 31 2020 due to their religiously mandated facial hair.
The affected officers have been placed on desk duty for almost six months as the RCMP says that the N100 mask does not seal with facial hair. The wearing of the mask, however, is not mandatory and left to front line officers’ discretion and only necessary after an assessment of risk factors.
The WSO was contacted by affected Sikh officers in April 2020. The officers reported that they had been re-assigned to administrative duties which many find less than meaningful. No attempt has been made to accommodate Sikh officers with alternative PPE that would work with their religiously mandated facial hair.
The refusal of the RCMP to accommodate Sikh officers is particularly concerning given that Sikh officers serving in other police forces across Canada continue to serve on the frontlines and have not been removed from their duties.
It is unclear as to why the RCMP is requiring members to be fitted for the N100 when medical professionals have been advised both by the provinces and federally that regular medical masks will suffice, unless they are involved with an aerosol generating medical procedure (AGMP), in which case an N95 will be needed. There is no apparent reason as to why the RCMP requires a more stringent standard than medical professionals.
The WSO has written to Public Safety Minister Bill Blair and RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki in early June requesting that they intervene to resolve the situation. WSO has also written to Public Services & Procurement Minister Anita Anand and Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Navdeep Bains requesting their assistance in resolving the situation. No response was received from the Ministers’ offices.
In a response to the WSO dated July 17 2020, Gail Johnson, Chief Human Resources Officer for the RCMP, confirmed that bearded Sikh officers remained on desk duty and that the RCMP “value the dedication and commitment that Sikh members have for our organization and regret that members find the duties they have been temporarily assign to in the wake of COVID-19 unfulfilling”.
WSO President Tejinder Singh Sidhu said today,
“The RCMP are the only police force in Canada that refuse to accommodate bearded Sikh officers. Sikh RCMP officers have patiently waited for almost six months to be returned to active duty however, there has been no desire on the RCMP’s part to address this situation. There is no reason that the RCMP should require a higher standard of PPE protection than any other police force in Canada or even medical front line workers. Sikh officers continue to serve in every other police force in Canada.
Taking Sikh officers off the front lines is inappropriate and constitutes discrimination.
We have tried for months to assist the affected RCMP officers and advocate on their behalf but with no success and no response from the federal government. The discrimination against bearded Sikh officers must end immediately.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) is a non-profit organization with a mandate to promote and protect the interests of Canadian Sikhs, as well as to promote and advocate for the protection of human rights for all individuals.
This is canada. We have OUR laws and OUR customs. If you don’t like them and aren’t willing to abide by them then go back to whatever country you came from. I’m so sick of people trying to turn Canada into something different. You came here because you want a “BETTER” life. That doesn’t mean changing our country to be more like yours! I want canada back! We bend too many rules to accommodate everyone and it’s infringing on our own customs and Canada as a whole.
Sadly I don’t see any baptized Sikhs in the photo. All seem to have trimmed beards already. How can we as a community ask for something when we ourselves are not prepared to uphold the virtues we claim to espouse? This seems like another attempt to marginalized the community as a whole, by Indian agencies. By allowing themselves to be portrayed as baptized Sikhs who are not suppose to cut their hair and ask for accommodation seems a bit ridiculous. I assume they think that Canadians are ignorant to the requirements of the Sikh religion. If Sikhs have been in Canada for over a 100 years, I’m sure there are many many Canadians who understand what being a true Sikh is about. By slapping a turban on my cut hair does not afford me the benefits of what a batized Sikh should be granted. I do not disagree with the exemption but only for baptized Sikhs who truly uphold every value that Sikhism stands for. Do any of these officers drink alcohol? Lie? Cheat? All these are strictly forbidden in Sikhism. Let’s become real Sikhs then ask for accommodation. Having a trimmed beard already then asking for accommodation makes the whole community look foolish. What’s wrong with desk duty? If you are an officer of the law, especially something as special as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, an accommodation true Sikhs have valiantly earned in past years, then your duty is to serve even if it is at a desk position. Otherwise trimming your already trimmed beard a little more is a moot point or just plain hypocrisy. I don’t like to comment on this site, because any literate individual can see they are pushing an anti Sikh agenda with these ridiculous articles, if they print my comment I would be surprised. Either or it’s just my personal opinion as a baptized Sikh born and raised in Canada. I am Canadian.