Good evening to the members of the committee as well as to my fellow panel attendees.
In the simplest of terms, I am here today because the person who should be speaking to you about this is no longer with us. My name is Tarjinder Bhullar. I am the sister of Manmeet Singh Bhullar.
October 2015 was the last Thanksgiving that I will ever have with my brother. During that dinner and many Thanksgivings like it, we would spend time going around the room, sharing with each of us what we were thankful for. At this one Manmeet was particularly jubilant. Maybe it was because he was enjoying putting others on the spot when it was their turn to speak or maybe it was because he truly realized that he had so much to be thankful for and so little time to tell us.
As he stood to give his thanks, he began by giving gratitude for his wife. He continued with his commanding voice and a glimmer in his eye as he said, “I am thankful for the Sikhs in Afghanistan.” Though I wish so badly that I remembered every word that he spoke, I unfortunately do not. However, the ones that stand firmly ingrained in me are the ones when he said the work of making sure that Afghan minorities were brought to safety was his life's mission, and those words I remember all the time.
So it continued. I saw Manmeet take every audience and every opportunity he had, and whether it was birthday parties, family dinners, meeting a cousin's in-laws for the first time, any sort of social gathering, a wedding reception, or a media interview, he wanted to spread the word on how religious minorities in Afghanistan were experiencing hardships that are unimaginable to those of us who have the privilege of being Canadian.
In May 2015, Manmeet was re-elected to his position as member of the legislative assembly for the constituency of Calgary—Greenway with one very distinct difference. He was now a member of the opposition. As his family and his friends, we naively thought that this would now free him up and give him time to relax, to focus more time on himself, and just generally slow down from his hectic pace. It sounds ridiculous now, as that is not how he was built. He knew that time was precious and he knew that it was to be spent doing seva, which is selfless service.
Through conversations he had with trusted friends, such as the Honourable Tim Singh Uppal and Mr. Balpreet Singh, he came to know of the plight of the Sikhs in Afghanistan. Manmeet was built in a way that once he knew someone was in trouble, he took on his or her troubles as his own.
So for the next seven months, Manmeet used every moment he could to find a solution to the troubles that plagued his Sikh and Hindu brothers and sisters in Afghanistan. He did so not because it advanced his political career or agenda and not because it was a glamourous topic that would garner him attention on social media. Rather he did it because he knew that knowing of someone being treated unfairly and doing nothing about it was not how he was brought up, it was not what he was taught to believe in, and it was not what we do as Canadians.
For months, Manmeet communicated with Sikhs in Afghanistan, not allowing time zones or languages to become barriers. Instead he adjusted his schedule as much as he could to make himself available when they needed someone to talk to. He would even go so far as mimicking their Punjabi so they felt comfortable sharing their stories with someone who sounded almost exactly like them.
Manmeet didn't talk to them simply to save face. He talked to them to get a keen sense of what their day-to-day challenges were. That's how he worked. No matter what his task was he needed to know everything so that he could dissect the information and masterfully come up with what he thought was the best solution, never fearing what would seem too daunting or ambitious to others. I say that not because he was better than anyone else, but because he simply had this innate quality of never taking no for an answer and always believing that yes was a possibility.
In August 2015 Manmeet was determined to travel to Afghanistan to meet these families first-hand. A series of bombings in central Kabul determined it would not be safe to travel. Though he was not able to get to Afghanistan Manmeet did travel to India to meet those who were able to make it there safely. He also travelled across Canada as well as to Belgium and the United Kingdom to speak to individuals, organizations, government officials, basically anyone who he believed could step up and be a part of the solution.
Manmeet, with the help of his loyal and dedicated staff, worked with Sikhs in Afghanistan to ensure their safe travel to India. He showed his commitment to this project by not only asking others to give, but first giving himself. Once in India he arranged for locals to greet the Afghan Sikhs, assist them in registering as refugees with the United Nations, and then make their way to the province of Punjab where shelter awaited them.
In October 2015, when our father was in India, Manmeet made sure that he assisted Afghan Sikhs who were arriving and gave them temporary residence in our family home.
In November of 2015, Hamreet Bains committed to this project by travelling to India and assisting those arriving from Afghanistan and coordinating resources on the ground to make the transition as smooth as possible.
She was in communication with Manmeet on a regular basis to see what could be done to make this challenge possible for them to come to India. To date, 200 Afghan Sikhs have found temporary refuge in Punjab. Children are attending classes. Women are in a community where their gender does not make them targets for vicious attacks, and men are learning job skills that equip them to provide for their families. But this is definitely a temporary solution. Though they have their basic needs taken care of for the time being, shelter is limited and resources are based on the generosity of people in Punjab and those from Canada who are committed to seeing this project through.
Although Manmeet was able to meet the initial few Afghans who made their way to India, he was not able to see them start their new lives, ones that we hope are full of promise. Manmeet believed that Sikhs in Afghanistan could be given the opportunity to come to Canada. He believed that Canada could give them a safe place to live, work, and play, a place where religion simply does not make you a target.
Manmeet knew full well that government policy and procedure could be adapted to meet the challenges of the current day because he did that himself as a minister. He knew that change was sometimes met with hesitation, but he insisted on finding solutions that better serve the values and ideals that we have come to expect as Canadians. If Manmeet was here with you today, and speaking to you, he would so adamantly implore you to examine how we can assist in bringing Afghan Sikhs to Canada. He would tell you that bureaucratic processes, although necessary and respected, could always be examined for efficiencies. He would tell you that timelines could always be expedited. He would remind you that as Canadians we intrinsically open our hearts and our doors to those in need. He would take the time to promise you, as I am doing now, that the Sikhs that we welcome to Canada will give you more than they will take.
They, like those who have come before them, will build on Sikh principles of giving and sharing with others. Sikh Canadians have proven time and time again that they recognize the responsibilities that come with the rights and privileges of this country. We don't ask for a handout, we give a hand up to fellow Canadians. We will take an active role in making sure that the Sikhs who come to Canada are given the resources that they need, and we are asking in return that you hold hope.
Thank you.