HALIFAX — The heads of Nova Scotia's supreme and provincial courts are expressing their support for judges who ban court staff from pinning poppies to their robes during proceedings after some Canadian politicians called the practice wrong.

Deborah Smith, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, and Perry Borden, chief judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia, say the ban is within the discretion of judges, and the body that oversees all federal judges, the Canadian Judicial Council, recommends it to ensure the courtroom is unbiased and impartial.

"The wearing of a poppy symbolizes our respect for those who have served, and those who did not return," the chiefs said in a statement Sunday.

"The decision of a judge not to allow symbols of support such as the poppy to be worn

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