REGINA - A private member's bill to permanently recognize April as Sikh Heritage Month has passed unanimously at the Legislative Assembly.
The bill, moved by Bhajan Brar, NDP MLA for Regina Pasqua, passed unanimously in second reading, and then at committee and in third reading Thursday afternoon.
"It's a great day for the Sikh community that has been living in Saskatchewan since 1957," said Brar. "I am thankful for all other members who supported me in this bill."
"It's a great day for Saskatchewan, it's a great day for the Sikh community in Saskatchewan," said Tajinder Grewal, MLA for Saskatoon-University-Sutherland.
The MLAs believe the legislation passed Thursday will be well received by the Sikh community in recognizing their presence in the province.
It has been a long fight for supporters of the legislation. They noted that a bill had been first introduced in 2019 but ended up not getting through. The Sikh community has instead had to formally apply for recognition each year.
"Every year we had to ask the provincial government to proclaim it, to recognize it," said Grewal. "Now it's permanent. Any government -- Sask Party government, NDP government -- any government has to recognize that."
