Madam Speaker, I am pleased and privileged to rise in the House today to speak to Motion No. 310 presented by my colleague, the hon. member for Windsor-St. Clair.
As the House is aware, I am the first turbaned Sikh to sit in the House of Commons. The turban is recognized by this House as religious headgear and no restrictions whatsoever are placed upon me. Likewise, Her Majesty the Queen has clearly indicated that the wearing of the turban in her presence is totally acceptable. The Queen's aide, Robin Janvrin, in a letter dated September 13, 1991 wrote: "I confirm that many Sikhs have been invited to Buckingham Palace over the years. They were not asked to remove their turbans".
Today's motion urges the Canadian legion to recognize that the turban is not simply a hat, but rather it is an integral part of the Sikh faith.
The Sikhs have proudly served during the time of war all the while wearing their turbans. The fact that the turban has been recognized by the RCMP and the Canadian military as suitable
dress for parade or duty should be extended to the wearing of religious headgear in the legions.
What was World War II all about anyway? Was it just fearless exploits and dramatic battles? Or was it about fighting for freedom, including religious freedom at a time of virulent anti-Semitism?
The brave soldiers of all faiths fought and died so that the living would be respected. They died so that a religious Jew would never be forced to remove his yarmulke and a devout Sikh would not be humiliated by being asked to remove his turban.
On the battlefield, no one asked Jewish and Sikh soldiers to fight and die without their religious headgear. Yet now, the yarmulke and turban are deemed disrespectful, on par with a cowboy hat, baseball cap or fedora.
In voting down the pleas of their own leadership to allow religious headgear into legion halls, the convention delegates violated the spirit of Canada's human rights laws and trampled on traditional Canadian values.
Today's motion would ensure that this situation would not be allowed to continue. I urge all of my fellow members in the House to support this motion and once and for all put this humiliating situation to rest.