Overview
- Chief Justice Deborah K. Smith and Chief Judge Perry F. Borden issued a joint statement supporting individual judges’ discretion to restrict symbols of support, including poppies, during proceedings.
- The Nova Scotia judiciary says court staff must seek the presiding judge’s permission to wear a poppy, while members of the public remain free to wear poppies in courthouses and courtrooms.
- Premier Tim Houston called the practice wrong and said he may introduce legislation to guarantee the right to wear poppies in workplaces, including court settings.
- The judges cited the Canadian Judicial Council’s Ethical Principles advising against visible symbols that could call a court’s impartiality into question.
- Federal Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight said she respects judicial independence on the matter, as Saskatchewan provides a contrast with a 2023 law allowing poppies in workplaces following a Saskatoon case.