Mr. Speaker, as the Conservative Party critic for heritage, I rise today to speak to Bill C-376, an act to designate the month of April as Sikh heritage month.
I commend my colleague opposite, the member for Surrey—Newton, for introducing this bill in the House.
Without a doubt this is an issue near and dear to his heart as a Canadian Sikh, and he represents his community honourably in the chamber, although, in my view, a little in a too Liberal way.
I also want to thank my Conservative colleague from Markham—Unionville. He has done so much to help the Sikh community as well as the immigrant community more broadly in our country. He has played a key role in our caucus in the work we are doing on files such as immigration, which are important for the Sikh community and all Canadians.
My colleague from Markham—Unionville is also a living example of the quintessential Canadian immigrant. He came to this country in humble circumstances and through his hard work has not only achieved success for himself and his family, but also his community and our country. When he arrived in this country in 1974, he was 21 years old and did not speak a word of French or English. He had a job that paid $1.50 per hour and would work 364 days per year. However, he told me that he took a break on Dominion Day, which would turn out to be Canada Day. We could see he was a proud Canadian early on.
In discussing the history and celebration of the Sikh community, I think of the new Canadians like my colleague and also like those I welcome every year to my riding. They come from all over the world and they are more than welcome. They come from Africa, Latin America and so on. They are like my Irish ancestors. Like the Sikh we have welcomed over the years, they come here to work hard, whether in farming or in industry. We are all better off and thankful for their hard work. Actually, they are the fabric of our country and this how our country is built.
I support this bill and its aim to designate every April going forward as Sikh heritage month.
Sikhism has millions of followers around the world. As we have heard, Canada is a home to over half a million Sikhs, making it the second-largest Sikh population in the world, after India. That deserves to be recognized.
What I also like about Sikh values is that they are universal human values, such as respect for others, kindness, charity, courage and honesty.
The significant Sikh population is represented in vibrant urban centres, such as Surrey, Brampton, and many other places across this land, whether in British Columbia, Ontario or Alberta. Without a doubt, the large and thriving communities of Indian and Punjabi heritage are essential to the increasingly close and important relationship Canada has with India. For one, cultural and educational exchanges between India, Punjab and Canada make our country richer.
India not only represents an opportunity for shared prosperity through trade with one of the world's largest economies, but also presents an opportunity to strengthen ties with the world's largest democracy. Democracy is something that unites people and countries. Indeed, we have seen how much Canadian Sikhs contribute to our Canadian democracy. In the last parliament I served as minister with Canadians of Punjabi heritage in caucus and in cabinet. I think of my former colleague Tim Uppal, who was the minister for democratic reform, or Bal Gosal, the former minister of sport, with whom I have entertained some good boxing galas where Quebeckers in particular were proving their talent. In British Columbia, we had Ujjal Dosanjh, a Canadian Sikh, who served as the premier of that province. I had an opportunity to visit Afghanistan with him when we were involved in the defence committee. In this parliament we also have members, like my colleague from Markham—Unionville on the Conservative side, as well as ministers and members on the government benches. Some day we may have the leader of the NDP join us in the House.
The first immigrants settled in British Columbia. They came to Canada with little or no money, but knew they wanted a better life for their families.
As my colleague mentioned, it has not always been easy for the Sikh community, as Sikhs have gone through difficult times. In 1914, hundreds of people wanted to improve their lives and their families' futures. They were hoping to find a better life in Canada, but were not allowed to enter. This resulted in the tragic Komagata Maru incident.
In fact, several deaths resulted from the Komagata Maru tragedy. We may remember that in 2008 the Right Hon. Stephen Harper apologized on behalf of Canadians. More recently, as made clear by the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition, the Conservatives will never forget the Komagata Maru, and we will use the memory of those who perished to learn from our mistakes and make this country even better.
Importantly, what is amazing about Canada is that despite regrettable historical chapters, communities like the Sikh community have come together and worked with all Canadians to move forward. While we learn from the past, we do not helplessly dwindle in the past. We do not focus on what divides us. Canadians, Sikhs and non-Sikhs alike focus on celebrating what unites us, because Canada has a lot to be proud of. This includes, without a doubt, the contributions of the Sikh community.
It is important that Canada's Parliament ensure that we recognize Sikh heritage and that we celebrate the contribution Sikh Canadians have made to the social, economic, political and cultural fabric. It is also important to recognize the richness of the Punjabi language and culture, not to mention their food.
It is important to note that April is the month designated to celebrate Sikh heritage month. As my colleague mentioned, it is an important month for the Sikh community because that is when Sikhs celebrate Vaisakhi, which is a historical and religious festival in the Sikh religion that marks the new year.
Vaisakhi commemorates the founding of the Sikh community known as the Khalsa under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. Since that time, every April, Sikhs gather around the world to celebrate this important moment with parades, entertainment and gatherings of family and friends.
April is the logical choice for the Sikh community, and that is why I support this motion.
Essentially, this heritage month would allow us to make Canadians aware of the culture and heritage of the Sikh community and to educate future generations. For that reason, I wish to support this bill and I invite my colleagues to support it as well.
Perhaps this bill is long overdue. We, indeed, have dates designated for the Asian community, the aboriginal community and the black community at the national level. Recently, we also worked with one of our colleagues from the Senate to make Jewish Heritage Month a reality. I would like to thank my colleagues for working on that, but today we can make history again by supporting this private member's bill.
