Bloc calls for ban on kirpan from Parliament

One day after security guards at the Quebec legislature denied entry to four Sikhs because some were carrying a kirpan—the ceremonial dagger worn by Sikhs—the Bloc Québécois promised to take up the issue with the House of Commons’ all-party decision-making body. This is the latest chapter in the debate over the kirpan in Quebec, which some Sikhs keep against the skin and under clothing. Bloc whip Claude DeBellefeuille says "it’s not a debate about religious symbols or a social debate above and beyond that. It is really a security question and we have to look again at our practices." At least one Liberal MP who wears the kirpan in the Commons, the Mississauga-Brampton South MP Navdeep Bains, does not agree. He accused the Bloc of seeking to make political gains from the controversy. "I think it’s fear-mongering at its best," he said.

CBC News