Alberta’s top court has ruled that requiring prospective lawyers to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the reigning monarch is unconstitutional and infringes on religious freedom. The Court of Appeal of Alberta made the decision Tuesday in Prabjot Wirring’s years-long case against the province and Law Society of Alberta. The court said the legally-required oath forced Wirring to choose between practising law in Alberta and his faith as an amritdhari Sikh. The decision hinged on whether a judge previously erred in considering whether the law society’s requirement to swear Canada’s official oath to “bear true allegiance” to the reigning monarch, their heirs and successors infringes the Charter right to religious freedom. The court said Wirring had sworn an allegiance to Akal Purakh, or the Creator in the Sikh faith, and… <\/p>\n
Alberta’s top court has ruled that requiring prospective lawyers to swear the Oath of Allegiance to the reigning monarch is unconstitutional and infringes on religious freedom. The Court of Appeal of Alberta made the decision Tuesday in Prabjot Wirring’s years-long case against the province and Law Society of Alberta. The court said the legally-required oath forced Wirring to choose between practising law in Alberta and his faith as an amritdhari Sikh. The decision hinged on whether a judge previously erred in considering whether the law society’s requirement to swear Canada’s official oath to “bear true allegiance” to the reigning monarch, their heirs and successors infringes the Charter right to religious freedom. The court said Wirring had sworn an allegiance to Akal Purakh, or the Creator in the Sikh faith, and... <\/p>\n