Canadian Military to Allow Face Tattoos and Dyed Hair to Be More ‘Inclusive’

The Canadian military is set to greatly relax their dress code rules, allowing soldiers to sport tattoos on their faces as well as grow their hair to any length they wish and dye it any colour they wish.

The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) announced that the dress code of the Canadian armed forces would be greatly relaxed in September of this year, complaining that the current rules were decades old.

“The bottom line is, the Canadian Forces Dress Instructions are about 50 years old and so the policy as a whole was overdue for revision,” the DND said in a statement on the Government of Canada’s website.

“Tattoos are permitted on the face as long as they conform to the regulations outlined in Section 2 – Appearance,” the DND stated, listing banned tattoos being those that express “hatred, violence, discrimination, or harassment: and tattoos that a [Canadian Armed Forces] member knows, or ought to know, promote and/or express: racism, sexism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, ableism, or sexual explicit material.”

All colours of hair are also permitted, including unnatural colours like pink and blue — although the DND warns that such colours should not inhibit operation duties: “For example, bright coloured hair may have a negative operational impact during field operations or training. Leaders are invited to discuss with their members to find a simple, suitable accommodation, such as a scarf to cover the hair.”

“Uniformity does not equal discipline, or operational effectiveness, any more than the colour or length of your hair defines your commitment or professional competence,” Canadian General Wayne Eyre, the chief of the defence staff of Canada, insisted on Twitter this week.

“Some will consider this progress, while others may see this as unwarranted,” he admitted.

The changes come as the Canadian Armed Forces struggle to find new recruits, according to a March report from broadcaster CBC that claims Canada’s military is around  7,600 soldiers short of operating at full strength and has had major issues recruiting women.

The British government, also struggling with recruitment, has announced plans to encourage more women to join their armed forces, with a plan unveiled last December by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to double the number of women recruits in the forces by 2030.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com.