World Sikh Organization Welcomes Passport Canada Apology

The Word Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) welcomes the announcement by Passport Canada that they will be offering an apology and issuing travel documents to the Sidhu family of Surrey, British Columbia. The Sidhu children's passport applications had been rejected due to the wearing of Sikh religious head-gear.

The WSO also is pleased to learn that Passport Canada officials will be given remedial training to ensure an incident like this is not repeated in the future. The WSO has worked with a number departments for training their staff, and offers its assistance to Passport Canada to impart proper training about Sikhs.

WSO Canada President, Gurpreet Singh Bal, said today, "This is what makes Canada great. A mistake was made and once it came to the attention of the authorities, it was quickly corrected. We as Canadians have the opportunity to live in the most multicultural country in the world and learning about the different religious and cultural practices is an ongoing process for all of us. As long as we keep learning and respecting our differences, there is no problem we can't overcome."