Dress code at BC Legislature being amended to allow women to bare arms

What began as a tweet last week, has now morphed into a change in policy at the BC Legislature, when it comes to how women working in the building can dress.

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The issue came to light courtesy of Shannon Waters, who tweeted on Thursday that women in the legislature were “being told our bare arms are unprofessional,” and “do not constitute proper business attire for the halls of the House.

Do we look unprofessional to you? Women in the @BCLegislature are being told our bare arms are unprofessional, do not constitute proper business attire for the halls of the House #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/1lJSWngP34

— Shannon Waters (@sobittersosweet) March 28, 2019

According to Waters, staff from the Sergeant at Arms office told at least three women in two days that “they need to cover up in the hallways.”

In response, the office of the speaker said last week that the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia “has consistently applied a ‘conservative contemporary approach’ to dress codes in the Parliament Buildings, as first articulated in a decision of Deputy Speaker Davidson on July 21, 1980.”

The tweet sparked an immediate online reaction with many using the hashtag #RightToBareArms to show their support for a change in policy.

On Monday morning, the the office of the speaker issued another statement, saying that “a preliminary review” had been completed.

“Let me state… that I expect that any Assembly dress guidelines must not undermine gender identity or the right of all Members or employees to fully and comfortably contribute to this unique workplace,” said Speaker Darryl Plecas.

Plecas said he is “committed to supporting gender sensitivity and awareness at the Legislative Assembly – a workplace setting that has been dominated by one gender for far too long.”

Due to this “historical imbalance,” he continued, “I am more than open to accommodating concerns brought forward by many women, as articulated over the past few days.”

Plecas said that with the preliminary review complete, he will continue to work with all Members “and will prepare a more fulsome report on this matter.”

In the meantime, Plecas said he fully supports the initial recommendations of the Acting Clerk on the subject.

These recommendations include that for women, ” professional business attire includes a range of contemporary conventional options, which may include sleeveless dresses, sleeveless shirts, and blouses.

For men, “jackets and collared shirts, and ties will continue to be the expected standard of dress.”

In addition, any dress guidelines “should be principle and not overly prescriptive,” he states. “We recognize and respect the good judgement of all Members, staff, and press gallery members. All Members, staff, and press are encouraged to continue to wear professional business attire.”

Recognizing that the Legislature is a “formal business environment, we are confident good judgement will be shown by all,” he adds.

Other recommendations state that Assembly dress guidelines “will not be a responsibility of the Sergeant-at-Arms or other Assembly staff to enforce. Each individual is capable of choosing appropriate professional business attire.”