SURREY – On, the Trudeau Liberals began second reading of Bill C-376, my bill to designate the Month of April as Sikh Heritage Month so that the contributions and history of Sikh Canadians are recognized annually across Canada. And Surrey MP Sukh Dhaliwal is making the push directly in parliament.
“The rich history and contributions of Sikhs in this country must be remembered so that every generation knows of the hard work, struggles, and ultimately the progress of this nation. Because this is not just the story of Sikhs, this is the story of Canada,” Dhaliwal said.
“By designating April as Sikh Heritage Month we will be able to bring more attention to this history and why the values of equality, fairness, and justice are so important to our identity.
“This is a story of early pioneers coming to Canada and working in the fields, lumber mills, and railroads, the first Sikh Gurdwara opening in 1908, and discriminatory laws being used to turn back the Komagata Maru. But It is also a story of becoming Canadians in 1947, entrenching human rights in the charter, and It’s a story of office holders, Ministers, Premier’s, federal opposition leader, and a senator. This is a story that must be shared and told and with this bill, we will do that.”
