Sukh Dhaliwal meets with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Newton-North Delta MP takes opportunity to correct misconceptions

Toronto, ON - This morning Sukh Dhaliwal, Member of Parliament for Newton-North Delta, met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a closed door meeting involving MPs and MLAs of Indian origin from across Canada.

The face-to-face meeting allowed Dhaliwal to convey his positions on two key issues that he has been intimately involved in over the past few years.”I told the Prime Minister that I and everyone else in the room were valuable assets to him and his government in increasing economic ties between our two countries,” said Dhaliwal. “I also explained that his perceptions about rising extremism within Canada’s Sikh community were incorrect and not in any way reflective of Sikhs living across the country.”

Within the meeting, Prime Minister Singh expressed regret for the anti-Sikh violence of 1984, stating that it “should have never happened” and that he has “on behalf of the Government of India apologized on behalf of the nation for what happened.” The Prime Minister also alluded to ongoing negotiations to provide compensation for the victims of the 1984 violence.

The Prime Minister also expressed great pride about what the Indian community in Canada had been able to accomplish, with particular reference to the Sikh community in Canada.

Dhaliwal commended the Prime Minister for his efforts to reach to the elected representatives from the Indian diaspora.

“I have been very encouraged by the Prime Minister’s proactive efforts to meet with us, as I think that it is the best way to create understanding from all perspectives,” said Dhaliwal. “This morning the Prime Minister expressed an understanding about the pain caused by the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, and he has also been able to hear about how extremism within the Sikh community in Canada is a myth perpetrated by a few.”

Dhaliwal committed to assisting in fostering greater trading linkages through his post as the Official Opposition’s Critic for Asia Pacfic and to working as an intermediary to continue positive relations between the Indian government and Canadian Sikhs.

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