The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an application by Alberta’s Hutterites to re-hear an earlier ruling by the federal court refusing to exempt members of the Hutterite community from photo driver’s licenses. The application was one of the last avenues of appeal open to the Hutterite Brethren of Wilson Colon and the Three Hills Hutterite Colony in southern Alberta. The two communities interpret the second commandment (banning graven images) as a prohibition against photographs. The decision sets an important precedent for how religious freedoms are interpreted at both federal and provincial levels of government and is of special interest for social conservatives and faith-based advocates across the country since the case pitted religious freedom against provincial legislation.

The AGC also declines the use of government issued photo identification, albeit for different reasons and supported the legal position of the Hutterite Colonies.

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