"Traditional Native Braids Allowed for RCMP Officers"

OTTAWA - Native RCMP officers will be allowed to wear their hair in braids while in uniform, Commissioner Norman Inkster announced Wednesday.

"I am anxious that native Canadians in the RCMP and those who might like to pursue a career in the force know that they can do so without giving up their traditional spiritual needs," Inkster said in a written statement.

Solicitor General Pierre Cadieux endorsed Inkster's decision.

"I think that the commissioner made a good decision," Cadieux told reporters.

"We do have some native constables and special constables in the RCMP and I believe it meets with the efforts of the RCMP to attract more natives, for instance, in the force and it's definitely part of their spiritual belief."

Ovide Mercredi, vice chief of the Assembly of First Nations, also welcomed the decision.

"I think any time an important agency like the RCMP adopts a policy that respects cultural differences, it's good for all of us," Mercredi said in an interview.