TORONTO — Grocery chain Whole Foods has reversed a policy that prohibited employees from wearing poppies after widespread criticism from politicians and veterans’ advocates.
This is a breaking news update. See earlier story below…
Employees of international supermarket chain Whole Foods have been told not to wear Remembrance Day poppies because they don’t align with the company dress code.
“With the exception of those items required by law, our dress code policy prohibits any additions to our standard uniform,” Whole Foods said in a statement. The company said it supports Remembrance Day by observing a moment of silence in its stores on Nov. 11 and donating to the Legion’s Poppy Campaign.
Canadian politicians spoke out against the company policy Friday morning, calling it “shameful and wrong.”
The dress code restriction even spurred Ontario Premier Doug Ford — who told CFRA radio in Ottawa that his family will be boycotting the grocery chain — to announce he would seek legislation in the province to ban employers from prohibiting staff from wearing poppies during Remembrance Week.
Canada’s Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay called the policy “absolutely unacceptable” on CTV News Channel on Friday.
“[Poppies are] to show respect for people who stood in danger for our freedom and democracy around the world. Quite simply it’s totally unacceptable and hopefully they can change this quickly,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa Friday that he thinks Whole Foods “has made a silly mistake that I am hoping they will correct.”
“This is something we see every year almost — some company, some organization, some retail store makes a mistake around support for legions or the wearing of the poppies and it is quickly corrected due to public outcry,” he said. “I think that is certainly what I hope will happen in the process.”
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole posted a video message online calling the dress code policy “stupid” in a tweet.
“The poppy is not a cause, it is a sign of respect,” O’Toole said. “The sacrifice of Canadians in the past provides the freedom for a US grocery chain to be stupid today … Let’s tell Whole Foods to stop trying to be Woke Foods.”
Other grocery chains have responded in support of the Royal Canadian Legion and its “Poppy Campaign” to support veterans and their families. Sobeys posted a photo on Twitter featuring a staff member wearing a poppy, and Loblaws said in a statement that company leaders “allow and encourage” employees and colleagues to wear poppies.
The new controversy follows another flashpoint around Whole Food uniforms earlier this year, when U.S. staff filed a federal lawsuit against their employer after they were told they couldn’t wear “Black Lives Matter” face coverings at work.
At the time, store managers also cited the same company dress code language, which forbids symbols and phrases not affiliated with Whole Foods.
“It was wrong when they banned staff expressing support for Black Lives Matter and it’s wrong to ban the Poppy,” wrote NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on Twitter. “Canadians shouldn’t lose the right to honour the sacrifices of veterans when they go to work.”
Mayors of two of Canada’s largest cities responded to the news on Twitter, with Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson calling it “one of the most ridiculous decisions made by a company in recent memory” and Toronto Mayor John Tory urging the company to “rethink its unreasonable ban.”
The poppy has long been a symbol of peace used to honour the memory of fallen soldiers from the First and Second World Wars, most often associated with a poem written in 1915 by Canadian physician Lt.-Col. John McCrae.
In a statement, the Royal Canadian Legion said the poppy “is fundamentally a symbol of great respect and thankfulness for Canada’s Fallen, for those who have sacrificed for our freedoms today.”
“While we don’t have full details as to why Whole Foods has made this decision…we are thankful for the many partners and retailers like Whole Foods who contribute in various ways to the National Poppy Campaign,” the Legion said.
“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.”
