Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Vaisakhi offered a moment “to reaffirm the values of justice, charity and service” and that the Sikh community’s contribution had been a source of strength for the country.
Prime Minister Mark Carney leaves the stage after speaking at the Liberal national convention in Montreal on Saturday. (AP)
At a gathering in Ottawa on Monday, Carney said: “We are here to recognize that Sikh Canadians have contributed to building our great nation for generations, through entrepreneurship, through success and through seva.” “Your contributions are not only a source of pride within the community, they are also a fundamental strength of our country,” he added.
He was speaking at a gathering to mark Sikh Heritage Month and the release of the short film ‘Promises’, commemorating the contribution of the community’s soldiers during the Second World War, presented by Indus Media Foundation.
Carney said Vaisakhi offers a “moment to reaffirm the values of justice, charity and service” while also being “a celebration of the spring harvest” and a “chance to look forward with optimism about what can be grown, what we can grow together.”
With over 750,000 Sikhs in Canada, Vaisakhi is celebrated across the country to mark the harvest. The historic Khalsa Diwan Society hosted the 47th edition of its Khalsa Day Nagar Kirtan in Vancouver on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Indian Consulate in Toronto celebrated the festival in the city of Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) at an event organized in collaboration with community group Virasat-e-Khalsa.
It marked “the enduring bonds between India and Canada and the remarkable contribution of the Sikh community,” a consulate post said. India’s High Commissioner in Ottawa, Dinesh Patnaik, reflected on the diaspora as the living thread that binds the two nations together, while Consul General in Toronto, Mahavir Singhvii, highlighted Vaisakhi’s resonance around the world – and the Sikh heritage, whose legacy only grows with time.
“Since the founding of the Khalsa Panth in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Vaisakhi continues to inspire generations with its message of courage, faith and community,” the consulate noted.