National Post (National Edition)
Whole Foods reverses ban on poppies
Canada's veterans affairs minister says grocery chain Whole Foods Market will reverse a heavily criticized policy that forbid employees from wearing poppies.
Lawrence MacAulay says he confirmed the move with the chief operating officer of the Amazon-owned retailer.
The company defended the rule earlier Friday, saying it was part of a blanket ban on anything other than the retailer's basic uniform, and didn't single out poppies.
The grocery chain faced sharp criticism Friday for the policy, prompting the federal government to reach out to the company and Ontario's premier to promise legislation that would prohibit such a rule.
An employee at a Whole Foods in Ottawa told the CBC that her supervisor told her that, “if they allowed this one particular cause, then it would open up the door so that they would have to allow or consider allowing other causes.”
The rule nonetheless drew widespread condemnation.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government has been in touch with the U.S.based company, which has 14 locations across Canada.
“Whole Foods has made a silly mistake that I'm hoping they will correct very quickly,” he said.
Trudeau's comments came as the House of Commons adopted a motion by unanimous consent calling on all Canadian employers to allow their staff to wear poppies during Veterans Week, which began Thursday.
Meanwhile, Ontario's premier said he would take action to ensure everyone is able to wear a poppy while at work.
“I find it absolutely disgraceful. I find it disgusting,” Doug Ford said of the Whole Foods policy during an appearance in Ottawa on Friday.
“We're going to introduce legislation immediately that permits any employee — any employee, no matter where you work — to wear a poppy.”
The premier's office said details of the legislation are still being ironed out.
Whole Foods said it updated
its dress-code policy last month to specify the ban on anything other than the standard uniform in an effort to clarify the rules for employees.
“Whole Foods Market honours the men and women who have and continue to bravely serve their country,” a spokeswoman said. “With the exception of those items required by law, our dress code policy prohibits any additions to our standard uniform.”
The retailer will observe a moment of silence on Remembrance Day and donate to the Royal Canadian Legion's poppy campaign, the spokeswoman said.
MacAulay tweeted earlier Friday that the chain's poppy prohibition is “absolutely
unacceptable.”
“The poppy is an important symbol of remembrance, and it's more important than ever that everyone support the (Royal Canadian Legion's) Poppy Campaign this year,” he wrote.
Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, who is a veteran, said that the past sacrifices of Canadian soldiers “provides the freedom for a U.S. grocery chain to be stupid today.”
The leader of the Bloc Québécois, who was wearing a poppy, said that while he disapproves of Whole Foods rule, he' ll express his disappointment by refusing to shop there, rather than legislating the problem away.
“I would rather have them let their employees wear it,
but not to the point where I would make politics about it,” he said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the poppy policy is part of a broader issue at the company.
“It was wrong when they banned staff expressing support for Black Lives Matter and it's wrong to ban the poppy,” he said, referencing an ongoing lawsuit in the United States.
A federal lawsuit filed in Boston on July 20 alleges that the supermarket chain disciplined, intimidated and retaliated against workers who wore Black Lives Matter face coverings earlier this year.
According to that lawsuit, store managers cited the company dress code, which
prohibits slogans or logos not affiliated with the company, as the reason for prohibiting Black Lives Matter messages.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Canadian Legion, which runs the poppy campaign every year, said the organization doesn't understand the reasoning behind the Whole Foods dress-code policy.
“While retailers must set their own corporate policies, unless there are safety concerns we do encourage wearing poppies at all times as a show of respect for our Fallen, and as a symbol that helps educate Canadians about the sacrifices of our Veterans,” Nujma Bond said in an email.