The second attempt by the Ontario NDP to reverse the ban on keffiyeh in the legislature failed on Tuesday after some PC MPPs voiced their opposition.
Premier Doug Ford had publicly spoken in favour of lifting Speaker Ted Arnott’s ban, and had advised members of his caucus who wanted to keep it in place to abstain from attending the first voting on Thursday.
But on Tuesday morning, the premier’s office sent a statement giving the caucus a free vote on the new NDP motion that said the keffiyeh should be recognized as a cultural piece of clothing rather than a political statement.