Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, July 1 – Former Deputy Chief minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said Punjabis had done their motherland proud in Canada and wished them the very best on the occasion of 150 years of Canada Federation.
In a statement here, the SAD president said Punjabis had made a mark for themselves by dint of hard labour and sacrifices. “They have excelled in all spheres be it farming, IT, broadcast media or business. 17 Sikhs are part of the country’s Parliament. Four of them are ministers in the Justin Trudeau government. “All this is possible because of the forward looking and progressive nature of Punjabis”.
Mr Badal said the first Sikh pioneers came to the Abbotsford area in 1905 and originally worked on farms and in the lumber industry. “Since then they have expanded to most parts of Canada and are duly represented in all fields. Sikhs are the largest religious group among Indo-Canadians. According to the 2011 census there were 468,670 Sikhs in Canada which account for 1.4 per cent of the total population. Canadian Sikhs are often credited for paving the path to Canada for all South Asian immigrants as well as for creating the presence of Sikhism in the United States. Their importance in Canadian society can also be gauged from the fact that Punjabi has become the third language in parliament after English and French”.
