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Stephen Harper
pays obeisance at Sri Darbar Sahib
WSN Network
 AMRITSAR:
Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Wednesday visited Sri Darbar
Sahib, often termed the Golden Temple, after landing at Amritsar's
Rajasansi Airport.
Premier Harper's
visit to Amritsar comes after some strong lobbying by Canada's
influential Sikh and Punjabi lobby that was worried that Punjab
could be left out of the itinerary of the Prime Minister.
Sikhs in Canada
are working closely with the political establishment and have a
strong and well articulated voice. Harper's visit to the
Golden
Temple
is likely to lend much credence and edge to that voice, particularly
as it comes just before he is to assume chairmanship of the G-8.
Incidentally,
Canada will host both G-8 and G-20 summits in 2010.
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Sikhs in
Canada are working closely with the political establishment and
have a strong and well articulated voice. Harper's visit to the
Golden
Temple
is likely to lend much credence and edge to that voice. |
Harper is also
facing demands for a proper federal apology as far as the Komagata
Maru Tragedy was concerned. Sahib Singh Thind, President, Prof Mohan
Singh Memorial Foundation of Canada, Surrey (BC), said the
foundation had been working since 2002 to seek apology.
After 94 years,
the British Columbia legislature unanimously passed a motion on May
23, 2008, apologizing for the tragedy, but the Federal Canadian
government was yet to do anything on this issue.
“In August 2008,
the Canadian PM had made a statement during the annual Gadhri
Babbiyan Da Mela organised by our foundation. However, the
Indo-Canadian community had immediately rejected the statement
seeking a respectful apology in Canadian Parliament. The
Conservative government refuses to apologize in the House of Commons
for the tragedy. Harper can make amends by tendering the apology,”
Thind added.
Another social
body, Amritsar Vikas Manch, has urged the PM to start a Amritsar-Vancouver
flight by Air Canada.
18
November 2009
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