Baltej Singh Dhillon
Encyclopedia
Baltej Singh Dhillon was the first Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
officer to be allowed to wear a turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
.
Early life
He was born in 1966 in Malaysia and immigrated to Canada with his family in 1982. After graduating from high school, he went on to Kwantlen College to study criminologyCriminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
with hopes of becoming a criminal lawyer. Having been advised to do some volunteer work to improve his chances of getting into law school, he helped the RCMP launch the Block Watch program in his community and was subsequently hired by the force to work on the program.
Recruitment and Controversy
Based on his previous experiences, Dhillon decided that he wanted to join the RCMP. He went to a recruiting office and met all the initial requirements. The recruiting officer raised the delicate issue of the turban. RCMP policy did not allow it, however the issue went to then-Commissioner of the RCMP, Norman InksterNorman Inkster
Norman David Inkster, OC served as 18th Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, from September 1, 1987 to June 24, 1994...
. Inkster sided with Dhillon, and pressure was put on the federal government to change the policy.
Dhillon's request (and subsequent support from Inkster) created much controversy. Many opposed to the change believed that the stetson
Stetson
Stetsons are the brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri.Stetson eventually became the world’s largest hat maker, producing over 3.3 million hats a year in a factory spread over . Today Stetson remains a family-owned concern...
was part of the uniform and allowing a turban into such an all-Canadian institution would change the face of a national icon.
Over 150,000 people signed petitions to retain the traditional RCMP dress code, and sympathetic legislators presented the results to Parliament. Conversely, Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
leaders pointed out that turbaned Sikhs served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
in two World Wars and now work in many Canadian police forces.
On March 16, 1990, the federal Solicitor General
Solicitor General of Canada
The Solicitor General of Canada was a position in the Canadian ministry from 1892 to 2005. The position was based on the Solicitor General in the British system and was originally designated as an officer to assist the Minister of Justice...
, Pierre Cadieux
Pierre Cadieux
Pierre H. Cadieux, PC is a lawyer and former Canadian politician.Born in Hudson, Quebec, Cadieux was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons as the Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil, Quebec in the 1984 federal election that brought Brian Mulroney to power.In 1986,...
, announced in the House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
that the policy was theretofore amended to permit Sikhs to wear the turban while on active duty in the RCMP. Dhillon subsequently entered the RCMP Academy, Depot Division
RCMP Academy, Depot Division
RCMP Academy, Depot Division has been providing police training to Royal Canadian Mounted Police "cadets" since its establishment in 1885. The facility is located in the west part of Regina, Saskatchewan, near the airport, and consists of several buildings.In the RCMP's early days, Depot had a...
, in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, as the first turbaned cadet. Dhillon's career saw him, among other things, work as an investigator with the 1985 Air India bombing
Air India Flight 182
Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. On 23 June 1985, the airplane operating on the route a Boeing 747-237B named after Emperor Kanishka was blown up by a bomb at an altitude of , and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace.A...
task force.
Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Dhillon is currently part of the major crime section and works in the polygraph section as well.