World Sikh Organisation plans to increase Sikh women’s participation in the political sphere of Canada through its KaursVote panel discussions across the country which has seen a sizable number of Sikh men in public life.

While the participation of Sikh men in the political sphere of Canada has increased over the decades and though we have had some remarkable women representatives, still there is huge scope to enlarge the participation of Sikh women in Canadian public life.

As part of the Sikh Heritage Month, the World Sikh Organization of Canada will soon be hosting “KaursVote” panels in cities across Canada.

The KaursVote non-partisan initiative will address the under-representation of Sikh women in the political process by focusing on why Sikh women’s voices are so important.  The initiative will help start dialogues for Sikh women across the country on how they can better engage with the political process and ensure that politicians are responsive and accountable to their issues.

WSO believes that, “The Sikh community has established itself as a political force in Canada in the last number of decades. However, while the entire community has seen the election of a record number of Sikh elected officials, Sikh women have not typically participated as vigorously in the electoral process.”

As the population of Sikh professionals’ increases and Sikh women move out of their homes for public good, politicians and bureaucrats in Canada would have to move beyond the regular interaction with Sikh men from the community. They will have to meet and interact with the needs of Sikh women. On their part, Sikh women will have to create forums and platforms to air their views.

“The Sikh community has established itself as a political force in Canada in the last number of decades. However, while the entire community has seen the election of a record number of Sikh elected officials, Sikh women have not typically participated as vigorously in the electoral process.”

World Sikh Organisation of Canada

This initiative will look into the possible reasons for this lack of engagement of Sikh women and then plan and strategise to address them.

Legal counsel of WSO, Balpreet Singh, has informed the media that “WSO will be initially hosting panel discussions in Brampton and Surrey with panels to follow in Calgary and Edmonton where Panelists from a variety of backgrounds will discuss how Sikh women can effectively engage in the democratic process in Canada at the various levels of government.

He has also informed that The KaursVote panels currently planned for Sikh Heritage Month in April are:

Brampton:  April 6, 2019 from 2pm-4pm at PAMA, 9 Wellington St. E. Brampton. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/kaursvote-sikh-women-in-politics-brampton-tickets-59337449910

Surrey:  April 7, 2019 from 2pm-4pm at Strawberry Hill Library – Surrey Libraries 7399 122 Street, Strawberry Hill Library Meeting Room, Surrey, BC. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/kaursvote-sikh-women-in-politics-surrey-tickets-59382798549

Ottawa, 28 March 2019, WSN News Bureau Canada