Canada’s Mounties allow women officers to wear hijab

24 August 2016, 3:53 pm

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Hoping to boost recruiting of Muslim women, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is allowing its officers to wear hijabs as part of their uniforms, the government says.

“The commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police recently approved this addition to the uniform,” says Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

“This is intended to better reflect the diversity in our communities and encourage more Muslim women to consider the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a career option,” he says.

The RCMP officer’s uniform — a red serge tunic, leather riding boots and wide-brimmed felt campaign hat — is an iconic Canadian symbol.

— AFP