United Sikhs Launch Multi-dimensional Strategy To Remove Canada’s Ban On Religious Symbols

United Nations-Associated Humanitarian NGO UNITED SIKHS Continues To Lead Advocacy

OTTAWA, CANADA — UNITED SIKHS welcomes the news that Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, has moved forward the approval of asylum and resettlement for Afghan refugees. These refugees are currently living in a state of uncertainty on the Indian side of Punjab. 

On 24, October 2018, UNITED SIKHS participated in a multi-party press conference and reading of a petition to bring Afghan refugees to Canada under a special program. This initiative was led by the Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. The petitions, read in the parliament by MPs of the Conservative Party of Canada, NDP and Green Party, asked the Government of Canada to create a special program under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The Minister of Immigration is already empowered by legislation to allow vulnerable minorities to come to Canada as privately sponsored refugees, directly from the country where they face persecution. 

Through the petition, UNITED SIKHS urged the Immigration Minister to:
♦ Use the powers granted to him to create a special program to help persecuted minorities in Afghanistan
♦ Raise the persecution faced by this community with his Afghan counterpart 
♦ Strongly advocate for more to be done to protect Afghan Sikhs and Hindus

“The anticipated arrival refugees from India has been long time in the making. These applications have been the queue for a long time,” said Jagdeep Singh, Director of International Civil and Human Rights Advocacy for UNITED SIKHS. “While the progress on their files brings these refugees one step closer to settling in Canada, there remains a need to create a special program to bring these refugees directly from Afghanistan and reduce the processing times for those living elsewhere.” 

The organization noted that Afghan Sikh and Hindu refugees continue live under a climate of economic vulnerability in India and those left behind in Afghanistan are in imminent physical danger. 

Issued by,
Jagdeep Singh
Director of Human Rights Policy
UNITED SIKHS Canada 
E:contact@unitedsikhs.org