Winnipeg police to develop kirpan policy following legal notice

A Winnipeg man says he is now able to write the Winnipeg Police Service exam without removing his kirpan.

A Winnipeg man who has dreamed of becoming a police officer may get to fulfill that goal after all—and he won’t have to compromise his faith to do so.

The Winnipeg Police Service confirmed Friday it is developing a policy to allow applicants to wear a kirpan during the application process.

The announcement comes after Jaspal Singh Gill was denied the opportunity to write a police recruitment exam in late April when he refused to remove his kirpan—a ceremonial dagger that is one of five articles of faith a Khalsa Sikh must wear at all times.

Singh Gill, who moved to Winnipeg from New Brunswick last summer, said a recruitment officer at the service’s downtown headquarters told him he would have to hand over the kirpan for the duration of the exam or he would not be permitted to write it.

He chose to leave rather than remove the religious item.

After walking away, Singh Gill contacted the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), a national non-profit that advocates for the rights and interests of Canadian Sikhs. He said legal counsel for the organization sent the Winnipeg Police Service legal notice on his behalf, arguing his Charter rights had been infringed.

“It is difficult to understand why the Winnipeg Police Service would refuse to accommodate the wearing of the kirpan during the writing of a recruitment examination,” reads a letter dated May 11 from WSO legal counsel to the police.

“The kirpan is not a weapon, but an article of faith protected under Canadian law… We would further note that Sikhs wearing the kirpan currently serve as police officers in the RCMP and in municipal and provincial police services across Canada.”

Police had previously told CTV News that an applicant was offered a secure storage option for their kirpan during the exam, but declined. The service said the accommodation had been accepted by many other applicants in the past.

READ MORE: ‘Winnipeg man denied opportunity to write police exam over ceremonial Sikh dagger’

“Offering storage for the kirpan and requiring its removal is not accommodation,” the notice reads.

“The fact that Sikh applicants may previously have accepted this condition in order to proceed with the examination does not establish that the practice is lawful or sufficient. Rather, it reflects the reality that Sikh applicants felt compelled to compromise their religious obligations in order to access the recruitment process.”

The notice said the refusal to accommodate the wearing of the kirpan raises “serious concerns” under the Manitoba Human Rights Code and established constitutional protections for freedom of religion.

It also cited a 2006 Supreme Court of Canada ruling affirming the kirpan as a protected religious article, and noted that its wearing is accommodated across a wide range of environments in Canada—including on flights, in courthouses, legislatures, schools and universities.

Singh Gill said police responded to the legal notice indicating they would reply by May 22—and on Friday morning, he learned the service would be developing a new policy.

“I believed in what my rights were,” he said.

Singh Gill said he was grateful when he learned the WPS was changing course.

“I was very thankful when I got this news, and I was very thankful to the media, and especially CTV News,” he said. “Now I will be allowed to write an examination while wearing the kirpan, and I hope they will make this policy soon.”

Singh Gill added he hopes the policy change will open the door for other Sikh applicants going forward.

The Winnipeg Police Service did not provide a timeline for when the new policy would take effect.

With files from CTV’s Daniel Halmarson