13th National Diwali Celebration
Prime Minister Stephen Harper lights the traditional Diwali lamp with Deepak Obhrai
Prime Minister Right Hon. Stephen Harper lighted the traditional Diwali lamp Saturday November 9 at the International Centre in Mississauga while participating in the 13th Annual National Diwali celebrations organized by Hon. Deepak Obhrai, Parliamentary Secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Human Rights.
The 13th Annual National Diwali celebrations were held in the Greater Toronto Area for the first time. Till last year, Hon. Obhrai had organized the celebrations in Ottawa. The event saw enthusiastic participation from Indo-Canadians in the GTA. Prior to the speeches by the dignitaries, the audience was entertained by dancers who performed traditional dances from India.
Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce was one of the sponsors of the event.
Lauding the contributions of the Indo-Canadian community to the fabric of Canadian society, Prime Minister Harper said, “Our Indo-Canadian community, men and women, who, through their ingenuity, hard work and entrepreneurship are contributing to Canada’s prosperity. Men and women, who, through their commitment to family, faith and community, are helping to build a better Canada, men and women just like you.”
He added, “This Diwali season, let us be thankful, first and foremost, for the health and safety of our families. Let us also be thankful for the opportunity to call this country, our Canada, home. A country where all citizens enjoy equality of opportunity, a country unwavering in its commitment to freedom, democracy, and justice, a country that is a model of peace, pluralism and prosperity.”
To thunderous applause, the Prime Minister, emphasized, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your country, this is my country, a country of which we can all be very proud, a country to which you are making a tremendous contribution.”
In his address, Hon. Deepak Obhrai, said, “Events like these make Canada the greatest country in the world. Diwali is truly a national Canadian celebration. We have 5,000 people here from the Greater Toronto Area, Montreal, Ottawa and Calgary and more than 40 community, religious, and media outlets, who have come together as the sponsors of the 13th National Diwali Celebration. Together, they represent the best of multicultural Canada, where people from a multitude of ethnic backgrounds harmoniously co-exist in this great land, joyfully sharing their history and heritage with others.”
Echoing the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister and Hon. Obhrai, Naval Bajaj, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), during his address said, “Today, Canadians of Indian origin are helping shape the destiny of Canada in so many different ways.
“Indo-Canadians are second to none in helping build a new Canada – a Canada that is multicultural, a Canada that has a place for everyone, a Canada that respects and nurtures all ethnic identities. I am sure everyone present here will agree with me that we are proud to be citizens of a country that respects us for who we are and encourages us to participate in every facet of Canadian life without expecting us to abandon our roots.
The ICCC President also said, “Today’s celebration in the presence of Honourable Prime Minister Harper is appropriate because he epitomizes renewal of the Canada-India relations like no other leader in Canada’s recent history. What the Prime Minister has achieved in a few years in improving Canada-India relations, hadn’t been achieved in the last few decades.”