Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the the World Sikh Organization for Canada, said young Sikhs in Quebec are being unfairly punished.

“I am worried that a whole generation of Sikhs living in Quebec will not be allowed to play soccer because of religious beliefs,” said Singh, the Quebec vice-president of the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

Prem Vinning with the World Sikh Organization is happy with the move and called it an open dialogue with the province. “There is a training video that has been created by the WSO with the BC Sheriff’s Office so that people can be trained in the courthouses.”

“It’s a relief,” said Sukhvinder Kaur Vinning, executive director of the World Sikh Organization of Canada. “I can focus on being a good civic citizen and I don’t have to worry about compromising my faith, so that’s a huge burden that’s been lifted.” Having to testify in court can be a stressful situation, and for Sikhs having to remove the kirpan made it worse, said Vinning. “To take it off, that’s a painful thing to ask,” she said. “It eats away at a person.” “[It was like] kind of being torn in two ... practicing Sikhism and being a good citizen.” The kirpan, as part of the Sikh code of conduct, is supposed to be worn — sheathed — at all times. The kirpan itself symbolizes the Sikh duty to stand against injustice. “It’s very sacred, it’s an extension of who we are — we wear it all times,” said Vinning. “Taking it off – it’s hard.” So the government and WSO worked together to create the new policy.

“This decision is incredibly important to us,” said Sukhvinder Vinning, executive director of the World Sikh Organization of Canada. “As law-abiding citizens, we go to the courthouse to fulfill our civic duties. But in order to fill that duty, we have to compromise our Sikh code of conduct by leaving our kirpan behind.

“The allegations being made against Sgt. Bigras are very serious and shocking to the Sikh community,” Mukhbir Singh, WSO vice-president, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, told The Suburban in an electronic mail message.

Sikhs will be baking or buying treats and Surrey’s Guru Nanak gurdwara’s free kitchen and the World Sikh Organization of Canada will deliver them to local women’s shelters on Thursday.

"Alberta is the first province wide adoption of a uniform policy with respect to the kirpan," Balpreet Singh, spokesman for the World Sikh Organization of Canada said Monday from Toronto. "The accommodation procedure ensures courthouse security is maintained while allowing Sikhs to wear the kirpan according to the requirements of their faith."

“Mostly, when there’s a settlement, it’s at least some time before you actually arrive at the hearing,” said Balpreet Singh, a lawyer with the World Sikh Organization of Canada, which was given access as an intervenor in the case.

And while it may seem far off for a nation overseas to implement that change, Sukhvinder Kaur Vinning, Executive Director of the World Sikh Organization of Canada said everyone must “stand in solidarity.” “The reality is it’s (up to) the citizens there,” she said. “(But this) gives people in India strength … when they know their neighbours won’t turn away.” “They’re not alone.”