Raitt says airport security has “non-discriminatory” tools to maintain safety

OTTAWA – The federal transport minister says there’s no need to re-impose a rule that required passengers to remove religious headgear when going through airport security.

Lisa Raitt says the agency charged with screening travellers at airports has other tools at its disposal to ensure safety without requiring passengers such as Sikhs to remove their turbans.

Raitt says department officials are reviewing the policy to see if there is a way to enact the rule anew in a non-discriminatory way.

On Tuesday, Raitt struck down her department’s April decision to implement the rule, but only for flights within Canada.

The decision came hours after the World Sikh Organization of Canada condemned the policy as discriminatory because it required Sikhs to remove their turbans, which their religion requires them to wear.

Raitt says she learned of the policy about two weeks ago after two of her caucus colleagues raised concerns they had heard from Sikh travellers.