Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
“We see the division right now that's going on. It's not healthy and this will just divide the community even more,” Ford said at an unrelated news conference on Thursday before Opposition Leader Marit Stiles presented her motion.
On Wednesday, Ford called on House Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse the ban on the scarf, which is worn by Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs across the globe. Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner also called for the ban’s reversal.
Stiles had previously written Arnott on April 12 stating that members of her caucus had been asked to remove the garment while in the building.
In a letter addressed to Stiles dated April 16, Arnott responded by saying that after “extensive research,” he concluded that the “wearing of keffiyehs at the present time in our assembly is clearly intended to be a political statement.”
However, he said, if a motion to allow the wearing of the garment received unanimous consent, he would accept the decision.
In a motion presented Thursday, Stiles said: “I seek unanimous consent that this House acknowledge that the keffiyeh is a culturally significant clothing item to many in Ontario's Palestinian, Muslim and Arab communities and should neither be considered an expression of a political message nor an accessory likely to cause disorder, and should therefore be permitted to be worn in the House.”
The motion failed.
Speaking at the legislature, Arnott said he heard “audible” no votes when he asked for unanimous consent.
“It’s extremely politically sensitive, obviously, but procedurally, I believe I made the right decision in the sense of past rulings of Speakers and precedents and traditions,” he told reporters after the vote.
Arnott noted there is a “long-standing” policy about wearing political symbols, and that even MPPs who want to wear sport jerseys in the legislature require a unanimous consent vote.
PC MPP Robin Martin voted against the motion, saying the decision follows the rules of the legislative assembly.
“Political clothing is not allowed to be worn in the legislative assembly … unless there was unanimous consent. (The Speaker) researched that decision and the decision was the correct decision in my view,” she said.
Martin added that it’s similar to a member wearing a “Free the Hostages” shirt in support of Israel in the war against Hamas or wrapping themselves in a flag.
As well, PC MPP Lisa McLeod confirmed she supported the ban on social media.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
It's opening day for the $34B Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion
Wednesday marks the official start date of the long-awaited $34-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.
A Utah couple accidentally shipped their cat with an Amazon return. A week -- and 3 'miracles' -- later, they were on a plane to meet a stranger
The Amazon returns employee wasn't at work the day one of her colleagues at a California warehouse found a small, furry stowaway in a box mailed six days earlier from Utah. But Brandy Hunter got the call anyway.