Canada: Sikh can wear small ‘kirpans’ in flights

The new rules of Transport Canada said that Sikh can wear small ‘kirpans’ of up to 6 cm in length on domestic and international flights. However, the exemption does not apply to any flights to the United States.

Earlier this year, the World Sikh Organization (WSO) had reached out to Transport Canada encouraging the adoption of the international standard so that Sikhs wearing the kirpan could be accommodated.

WSO President Mukhbir Singh said, “We welcome today’s announcement. We had shared our concerns with Transport Canada last spring with respect to the accommodation of small kirpans and remained in communication with them over this matter. By adopting the European Union standard on blade length, Sikh travellers in Canada will be able to wear kirpans with blades of up to 6cm in length. It is important to understand however, that the size requirements will be enforced strictly and Sikh travellers wishing to travel with their kirpan meets the size requirements.”