Sask. government to table bill that would prohibit poppy bans at workplaces
Plan for Saskatchewan Remembrance Day Observance Act was introduced in this week's throne speech
Saskatchewan Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty received the first poppy of the year at Government House in Regina Thursday, a day after the provincial government announced planned legislation for the symbol of remembrance — which would include ensuring workers are allowed to wear a poppy while on the job.
The throne speech Mirasty read in the legislative assembly Wednesday laid out the government's policy priorities for the fall sitting, including introducing the Saskatchewan Remembrance Day Observance Act. It would prohibit workplace policies that say employees can't wear a poppy at work.
"Honouring our veterans and what they have done — in giving us the opportunity to A, have a democracy, [and] B, the opportunity to wear any other pin on our … [lapel] at all — that should be recognized and honoured each and every day," Premier Scott Moe told reporters Wednesday.
"Wearing a poppy and having the right to wear a poppy at your place of work, or anywhere you choose in this province, most certainly, I would say, is significant."
The bill, which the Saskatchewan Party government intends to table in the coming weeks, stems from complaints the government received from people — including government workers — who weren't allowed to wear a poppy at work, Moe said.
WATCH | Sask. government plans to introduce legislation allowing people to wear poppies at work:
The government is not disclosing where specifically the complaints came from.
The bill would have to be passed in the legislature and receive royal assent before becoming provincial law.
If it does, Moe told reporters Wednesday he wasn't sure what the punishment would be for employers who breach the law.
The Ontario government introduced a similar law in 2021, amending its Remembrance Week Act so every Ontarian can wear a poppy at work unless doing so poses a threat or health and safety hazard to someone.
The law came after Whole Foods Market, a U.S.-based grocery chain with locations in Ontario, banned its employees from wearing poppies over their uniforms in 2020. The chain later changed its position.
Support for the poppy
During Thursday's event at Government House, Mirasty's wife, Donna, was given the second poppy of this year's Royal Canadian Legion poppy campaign in Saskatchewan. Cliff Walker, a military veteran from Saskatchewan who served for 35 years, was surprised with the third.
Walker, who was invited to speak at Thursday's event, said he comes from a military family and supports being allowed to wear a poppy.
"The people who served this country and who sacrificed, that was a permanent thing," Walker said. "To say that 'I don't think that those people should be honoured' in some way, by not wearing the poppy, would certainly not sit well with me."
Other people CBC spoke with in downtown Regina on Thursday also said they support the government's proposed legislation.
That includes Robin Olsen, who served with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and was deployed overseas. He keeps a poppy in his vehicle year-round, he said.
"People should remember these wars, the [people] who fought, suffered and died in them, and why they were fought. That's what the poppy is," he said.
"To not show something, to me, it's just callous."
Some other Saskatchewan residents say they back the government's proposal because it could protect against employer overreach.
"I don't know that it should be necessary in a country like Canada, but there are some employers that might" prohibit employees from wearing something to express themselves, said Matthew Bryson, who always wears a poppy in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.
Freeda Anctil had five relatives fight overseas — four of whom did not make it home — and believes an employer should have no say when it comes to poppies.
"Whatever I wear is my opinion and my thoughts," Anctil said.
The Legion's annual poppy campaign runs during the remembrance period, which started Friday and runs until Nov. 11.
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With files from Adam Hunter