OTTAWA (CP) – A Montreal school board went too far in imposing a blanket ban on the wearing of Sikh ceremonial daggers by students, says the Supreme Court of Canada.
In an 8-0 judgment, the court overturned a decision that barred teenager Gurbaj Singh Multani from wearing the dagger, known as a kirpan, to class.
The court said a total ban can’t pass muster under the Charter of Rights, because the policy infringes on guarantees of religious freedom.
So they can wear them on airplanes then?
Most airlines once allowed passengers to wear kirpans with blades no longer than 10 centimetres. In the security crackdown that followed the 9-11 terrorist attacks, however, Transport Canada decreed a country-wide ban.
The judgment of the high court is confined to school situations and does not apply to other areas.
So it sort of depends.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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