Baltej Dhillon, the first turbaned Sikh to become RCMP officer

The first turbaned Sikh to serve as an officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has been appointed a Senator.

The announcement that Baltej Singh Dhillon will join the upper chamber of Canada’s parliament was made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday.

The release in that regard noted he was a retired career police officer, a community leader, and a lifelong advocate for diversity and inclusion. In 1991, he “made history” as the first RCMP officer to wear a turban.

He went on to have a successful 30-year career with the RCMP, playing a key role in several high-profile investigations. Since 2019, he has worked with British Columbia’s anti-gang agency, while remaining active in his community as a youth leader.

Dhillon also unsuccessfully contested the provincial elections in British Columbia last year as a candidate for the ruling BC New Democratic Party (NDP).

Joining the RCMP was a challenge for Dhillon. As the Hindustan Times reported in 2019 when he retired from the force, in 1988, when a young Dhillon wanted to join the RCMP, he found his way into the force barred because of his turban and beard, both prohibited by the regulations that existed at that time.

Known for its iconic red serge uniform and a Stetson hat, there was no accommodation from the RCMP for Dhillon, who had emigrated to Canada aged just 16 from Malaysia.