Mr. Speaker, across Canada, members of the Sikh faith and others will be participating in Vaisakhi, a celebration that highlights the 10th guru of Sikhism, Guru Gobind Singh, who laid down the foundation of the Khalsa Panth.
In 1999, as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, I had the privilege of introducing a resolution that recognized the importance of the Khalsa and the five symbols, including the Kesh, the Kanga, the Kachera, the Kara and the Kirpan. That resolution passed unanimously. I am more than happy to provide a copy of the said resolution to interested members.
Vaisakhi is also an important celebration for other religions for both faith reasons and things like the beginning of the new year and what we harvest. The event celebrates our Indo-Canadian heritage, which is characterized by its sense of community, sharing, and of course, great food.
The celebration of Vaisakhi is being celebrated here in Canada by more and more Canadians every year and is becoming a very important part of our Canadian heritage. As we get close to April 13, I would encourage all to participate in some fashion in this year's Vaisakhi celebrations.