Ottawa (March 27, 2019):  In marking Sikh Heritage Month, the World Sikh Organization of Canada will be hosting “KaursVotes” panels in cities across Canada.

KaursVote is a non-partisan initiative that will address the underrepresentation of Sikh women in the political process by focusing on why Sikh women’s voices are so important.  The initiative will help start dialogues for Sikh women across the country on how they can better engage with the political process and ensure that politicians are responsive and accountable to their issues.

Calgary (March 12, 2019):  The World Sikh Organization of Canada is delighted to welcome the arrival of the first Sikh and Hindu refugee families from Afghanistan to Canada.  The first two refugee families arrived this afternoon in Calgary.  Today’s arrivals are the result of the tireless work of Manmeet Singh Bhullar who championed this cause prior to his tragic passing in November 2015.

The arriving refugees have been sponsored through private applications that were spearheaded by the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation with support from the World Sikh Organization of Canada, community groups and individuals carrying on the tireless work of Manmeet Singh Bhullar. By utilizing the private sponsorship stream, individuals donate the costs of refugee sponsorship, maintaining legal responsibility to ensure settlement supports are provided to refugees.

Ottawa (March 12, 2019):  A complaint initiated by the World Sikh Organization of Canada has resulted in the Canadian Air Transport & Safety Agency (CATSA) issuing an operational advisory and remedial training to airport screeners with respect to the screening of the kirpan.

In November 2017, Transport Canada allowed blades of up to 6cm in length on domestic and international flights in Canada.  Sikh passengers can wear small kirpans with blades of up to 6cm on all flights out of Canada, except those to the US.  Sikh passengers may be screened while wearing the kirpan and are not required to remove it when passing through security.  Sikh passengers should be offered the option of a private search area.   While the kirpan will be visually inspected, it can continue to be worn on the person during screening.  The kirpan can be held away from the body when the screener scans the area. 

Ottawa (March 6, 2019):  This month, the World Sikh Organization of Canada will once again be hosting the #AskCanadianSikhs panel series in Brampton, Edmonton and Surrey.  The subject of this year’s panels will be the inclusion of “Sikh (Khalistani) Terrorism” in Public Safety Canada’s 2018 Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada.

Last year, in response to misleading reporting and false allegations of extremism and radicalism, Sikh Canadians came together and spoke out against the misleading narrative created by a small group of reporters with the #AskCanadianSikhs campaign. The WSO held the first series of #AskCanadianSikh panels to address these issues in April 2018. 

Ottawa (February 27, 2019):  In what has become an annual event since 2013, Sikhs across Canada, in partnership with the World Sikh Organization of Canada, took part in the One Billion Rising movement by providing care packages, treats and baked goods to approximately 1500 women and children in shelters in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.  Handmade Valentine’s cards prepared by Sikh children accompanied the packages. 

One Billion Rising began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than one billion women and girls.  

Ottawa (January 22, 2019):  Representatives of the Sikh community and Canadian Gurdwaras met with Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale yesterday with respect to the inclusion, for the first time, of  “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” in Public Safety Canada’s 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada.

Surrey (January 15, 2019):  The World Sikh Organization of Canada is proud to announce the launch of the Sikh Mentorship Program (SMP).

The SMP is designed to connect Sikh professionals with Sikh students (16+) who are seeking guidance and direction academically or professionally. Alongside mentor-mentee matching, the Sikh Mentorship Program will also include workshops, panels, and networking events.

The program is sponsored in part by the Government of Canada and TakingITGlobal.

Ottawa (December 17, 2018):  The World Sikh Organization of Canada welcomes the conviction of veteran Congress Party leader Sajjan Kumar by the Delhi High Court today.  Kumar was sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed during the 1984 Sikh Genocide, specifically the killing of five Sikhs and the arson of a Delhi gurdwara.  Ironically, Monday also saw the swearing-in of Kamal Nath as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh.  Nath is also accused of leading a mob that attacked a gurdwara and burnt several Sikhs alive in Delhi during the 1984 Sikh Genocide. 

In its judgment released today, the Delhi High Court found that “the mass killings of Sikhs in Delhi and elsewhere in November 1984 were in fact ‘crimes against humanity’. They will continue to shock the collective conscience of society for a long time to come.”

Ottawa (December 13, 2018):  The World Sikh Organization of Canada is outraged by the selection of Kamal Nath as the next Chief Minister of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.  Nath is accused of leading a mob that burned several Sikhs alive in Delhi during the 1984 Sikh Genocide.  The appointment of Nath follows the victory of the Congress party in the recent Madhya Pradesh election.

Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi announced today that Kamal Nath would be the next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. The Congress Party announced from its Twitter handle that "an era of change is upon MP with him [Kamal Nath] at the helm." 

WSO has today sent the below letter to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale on the maligning of the Sikh community in the recently released 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada.