Sikhism is “grounded in equality, honest labour and the responsibility to share,” a member of the legislature said Wednesday to mark a month that honours his faith.
Parmeet Singh Boparai, the NDP member for Calgary-Falconridge, said Sikhs have used service, fairness and optimism to make Alberta a better place for more than a century.
April is Sikh Heritage Month in Canada and elsewhere in celebration of the faith’s societal contributions and culture.
“During global crises or moments of everyday hardship, Sikhs across Alberta and Canada continue to serve all people without judgment,” Boparai said.
Sikhism is the country’s third-largest religion. According to the 2021 census, Canada is home to about 772,000 Sikhs, more than 100,000 of whom live in Alberta.
Boparai gave his colleagues a mini-primer on the religion, mentioning the importance the dastaar, or turban; and the role in Sikhism’s advancement of a corps of “principled soldiers” formed in 1699, called the Khalsa.
He also highlighted the continuing influence of the teachings of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
Alberta’s Sikhs today “stand on the shoulders” of notable pioneers like the province’s first Sikh settler, Harnam Singh Hari.
Thrown off a train near Banff after leaving Vancouver for Calgary, Hari walked 85 miles along the tracks to Exshaw and took a job at a cement plant. He would go on to become one of Calgary’s most successful businessmen and hog producers.
Pte. Buckam Singh was one of the few Sikhs allowed to fight for his adoptive country in the First World War.
Serving in the trenches of Flanders, he was wounded twice. In England he waited to be redeployed to the front lines, but instead Singh contracted pulmonary tuberculosis and was sent home to Canada for treatment.
With no family having been allowed into Canada, he died in a hospital bed at age 25 on Aug. 27, 1919.
Boparai said that Sikhs “continue to live by the principle of chardi kala — eternal optimism — dedicating themselves to serving humanity, building a fair society and unwavering courage to face injustice.”
