WSO on Parliament Hill

On October 24^th and 25^th, WSO representatives were on Parliament Hill for two days of meetings with MPs of all three major Canadian parties.

WSO’s representatives from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa met with MPs to discuss various issues of concern to Canadian Sikhs including, ongoing engagement by Canadian politicians outside of election periods; protecting multiculturalism and freedom of religion; accommodation of Sikh articles of faith; promotion of international human rights;  anti-terrorism legislation and immigration concerns including denial of visas to Sikh preachers and visitor visas, long wait times for family class sponsorships, refugee law reform and foreign degree accreditation.

In our discussions with various MPs, opportunities arose for productive dialogue and knowledge building.  For example, some MPs wanted to learn more about the Sikh articles of faith.  Others were interested to learn more about issues like the importance of 1984 to the Sikh community.  

WSO is committed to continuing an engaged dialogue with our elected officials so that the concerns of the Sikh community continue to be known and addressed.  It's been our experience that having face to face meetings gives the organization and Canadian Sikhs in general a personal presence and the opportunity to build ongoing relationships. Overall, it was a very productive two days of meetings.