Speaker of Ontario legislature stands by keffiyeh ban; Ford, opposition seek reversal
TORONTO — The Speaker of Ontario’s legislature is standing by a ruling that bans people in the building from wearing keffiyehs, which he says are being worn to make a political statement, even after the premier and all opposition parties asked him to reverse it.
The legislature has a long-standing rule that members can’t use props, signage or accessories intended to express a political statement, and Speaker Ted Arnott said after “extensive research” he has concluded that keffiyehs meet that definition.
“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,” Arnott said Thursday after question period.
“In my opinion, having done the research, it appeared to me that the keffiyeh is being worn to make a political statement.”