The top judges at Nova Scotia’s supreme court and provincial court are expressing support for judges who choose to disallow court employees from wearing poppies during proceedings, saying that the measure promotes neutrality.
Chief Justice Deborah Smith of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and Chief Judge Perry Borden of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia say judges have an obligation to conduct all court proceedings “in an impartial and unbiased manner.”
“The decision of a judge not to allow symbols of support such as the poppy to be worn by court staff is not intended, in any way, to undermine or diminish the tremendous respect that we have for those who have served, and those who have died,” Smith and Borden said in a Nov. 9 statement….