B]McGuinty attending Sikh parade[/B]
McGuinty attending Sikh parade | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto Sun
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he won’t back down from attending a long-running Sikh parade in downtown Toronto on Sunday despite calls for him to be a no-show.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/controversies/30131-mcguinty-attending-sikh-parade.html
A group calling itself the Sikh Activist Network, in a meeting with parade organizers last week, called for McGuinty not to attend or speak at the 33rd annual Sikh Khalsa Day parade that attracts about 80,000 people and runs from the CNE to Queen’s Park.
The group is seeking an apology from McGuinty over his welcome to Toronto last month of Kamal Nath, India’s minister of road transport and highways.
Nath is accused of helping organize deadly riots against Sikhs in November 1984 after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards in New Delhi. More than 3,000 Sikhs were killed in four days across India.
Balkaran Singh Gill, a member of the Ontario Sikh and Gurdwara Council organizing the parade, said there won’t be any problems for the premier.
“There are a number of Sikhs who are angry at the premier,” Gill said on Thursday. “They did not like the warm response given to Nath by the premier.”
He said community elders have spoken to group members who wanted an apology and have reached an agreement. Organizers at the event plan to honour politicans who condemned Nath’s trip to Canada.
Council president Harbans Singh Jandali said he expects the parade to go off without a hitch.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=30131
“Things will be very smooth,” Jandali said. “We don’t expect any problems or concerns for the premier.”
McGuinty spokesman Karman Wong said Thursday the premier will be attending the event.
“Ontarians still feel the pain of these events very deeply, and I want to convey our sympathies,” McGuinty said in a statement last month. “Our success has been found in our ability to work together through mutual respect and understanding.”
Toronto Police Const. Tony Vella said there will be a police presence along the parade route to help with public security, traffic and other problems.
Police are concerned that friends of five Sikh men arrested in fights at Peel Region temples may show up on the parade route to cause problems.
B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell boycotted a Sikh parade in Surrey on April 17 after organizers refused to apologize for a perceived threat against two other politicians.
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