The speaker of the Ontario Legislature has upheld a ban on wearing keffiyeh scarves in the chamber, after failing to get a unanimous vote on the issue as politicians from various parties, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, have criticized the policy.
“As always, any member may seek the unanimous consent of the House to wear clothing, buttons, ribbons etc. which may fall outside the established rules or customs of the House. If a member sought unanimous consent to wear a kaffiyeh, and if the House were to grant such consent, I would obviously accept the decision of the House,” Mr. Arnott said.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles subsequently called a point of order and demanded the chamber vote on whether the keffiyeh could be worn, stating that the clothing item was not an expression of a political message and was culturally significant to Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims more broadly.
After being put to a vote, Mr. Arnott claimed he heard some opposed to the NDP leader’s motion and without unanimous consent, upheld the ban.
While the legislature did not unanimously consent to the wearing of the keffiyeh, many across the political spectrum have called on the speaker to reverse the ban, including Premier Doug Ford.
The scarf is present in the many pro-Palestinian demonstrations since Hamas launched a terrorist attack against Israel on Oct. 7, which was followed by an all-out assault in the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Forces.
B'nai Brith also encourages other provincial legislatures and the federal Parliament to take a similar approach.
