Horwath visits Gurdwaras, celebrates Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s birthday

Yesterday Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and Deputy Leader Jagmeet Singh toured four Gurdwaras in the Brampton area and celebrated the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji with hundreds of Sikh Ontarians.

“Among other teachings, Guru Nanak Dev Ji established the fundamental Sikh belief in equality and the principle of vand ke chakko – sharing with others and helping those in need,” said Horwath. “These values are also closely shared with New Democrats, and are the foundation of our friendship and partnership with the Sikh community.”

Deputy Leader Jagmeet Singh was the first turbaned Sikh to serve in the Ontario Legislature and is the first Sikh to serve as Deputy Leader of a major political party in Canada. He was thrilled to accompany Horwath and talk to the Sikh community about the NDP at the Gurdwara visits Monday evening.

“As New Democrats, we are proud to stand in solidarity with the community as the first political party in Ontario to recognize the November 1984 genocide. Acknowledging that a genocide occurred is one of the first step toward healing and reconciliation. Naming the injustice is extremely important so that we can work toward ensuring it never happens again,” said Singh. “I’m proud of our shared values of social justice, equity and working toward creating more fair society.”

Ontario’s New Democrats have done important work with the Sikh community in recent years. The ONDP was proud to stand with Jagmeet Singh when he officially made April Sikh Heritage Month in Ontario - so that all Ontarian's could share in the Sikh values of Seva, the fundamentals of equality and the importance of supporting and helping our neighbours and our community. The ONDP is the only party in Ontario which passed a resolution committing to work toward the legislated protection of Sikh articles of faith. The party continues to build relationships with the Sikh community.