Chief judges back court poppy ban after backlash

The heads of Nova Scotia's supreme and provincial courts are expressing their support for judges who ban court staff from pinning poppies to their robes during proceedings after some Canadian politicians called the practice wrong.

HALIFAX – The heads of Nova Scotia’s supreme and provincial courts are expressing their support for judges who ban court staff from pinning poppies to their robes during proceedings after some Canadian politicians called the practice wrong.

Deborah Smith, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and Perry Borden, chief judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia, say the ban is within the discretion of judges, and the body that oversees all federal judges, the Canadian Judicial Council, recommends it to ensure the courtroom is unbiased and impartial.

“The wearing of a poppy symbolizes our respect for those who have served, and those who did not return,” the chiefs said in a statement Sunday.

“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 gave an example of a non-veteran charged with assault of a veteran walking into a courtroom where staff are wearing poppies, suggesting it could make the accused doubt the neutrality of the process.

“It is for that reason that the Canadian Judicial Council states, in its Ethical Principles for Judges … judges should avoid statements or visible symbols of support, particularly in the context of court proceedings,'” the chiefs said.

Smith’s and Borden’s joint statement came after Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said on social media last week that he recently learned some courtroom staff were told to not wear the poppy and called the order disgusting.

“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,” he said.