The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is now allowing female Muslims to wear hijabs on duty, so as to encourage more to join and increase diversity in the force.
“The commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently approved this addition to the uniform to allow female members of the Muslim faith to wear a hijab if they so choose,” Scott Bardsley, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, told Global News.
For Bardsley, the point of the uniform code switch is to bring more Muslim women into the RCMP. They can now wear the female Islamic headscarf along with the traditional uniform of a red serge tunic and a wide-brimmed hat.
The uniform dates back all the way to the late 19th century, and drew its inspiration from the British military.
At least three different types of hijabs were tested before authorities selected one as the right fit, s ince it didn’t impede officers from carrying out their duties.
Women constitute about 20 percent of the RCMP, but it’s unclear how many of them are Muslim.
This isn’t the first time the RCMP has made a shift in uniform to accommodate a religious minority. In the 1990s, the RCMP modified its uniform requirements to allow Sikhs to wear turbans. The change came about after recruit Baltej Singh Dhillon complained.
With the hijab change in place, the RCMP joins Toronto and Edmonton as the third police force in Canada to permit the Muslim headscarf.
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