(MENAFN- Live Mint) "Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured \"nearly 800 thousand Canadians of Sikh heritage\" that his government will always be there to protect their rights and freedom. His statement soon after the 'Khalistan Zindabad' slogans were raised on the occasion of Khalsa Day on Sunday, April 28 said,“The story of the Sikh community in Canada is, in fact, the story of the Canada...To the nearly 800 thousand Canadians of Sikh heritage across this country, we will always be there to protect your rights and your freedom, and we will always defend your community against hatred and discrimination.”ALSO READ: What is the Khalistan movement that triggered India-Canada rift? ExplainedThe Canadian PM also noted that the country is enhancing the security and infrastructure programmes by \"adding more security at community centres and places of worship, including Gurdwaras.\"\"Your right to practice your religion freely, and without intimidation is exactly that. A fundamental right guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that we will always stand up and defend you for,\" Trudeau assured the Sikh community in his Khalsa Day address new dealTrudeau further informed that Canada“has negotiated a new agreement with India to add more flights and more routes between\" the two countries said,“Vaisakhi brings together friends and family. I know that many of you have loved ones who you want to see more often. That's why, our government has negotiated a new agreement with India to add more flights and more routes between our countries. And we will keep working with our counterparts to add even more flights, including to Amritsar.”'Pro-Khalistan slogans' in presence of PM TrudeauLoud chants of pro-Khalistan slogans were raised in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. This incident took place amid a sharp rise in anti-India sentiment in Canada in recent times.\"Khalistan zindabad\" slogans were raised as Trudeau was about to take the stage for his address to mark Khalsa Day. The chants were heard getting louder till he arrives and commences his speech in the video released by Canada-based CPAC TV VIDEO HEREThousands of people reached Toronto on Sunday for one of the biggest yearly gatherings in the city. According to the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwaras Council (OSGC), Vaisakhi, also called Khalsa Day, commemorates the founding of the Sikh community in 1699 as well as the Sikh New Year his speech, the Canadian PM said that diversity is one of Canada's greatest strengths, and the country is strong not in spite of the differences, but because of those differences.\"One of Canada's greatest strengths is its diversity. We are strong not in spite of our differences, but because of our differences; but even as we look at these differences, we have to remember, and get reminded on days such as this, and every day, that Sikh values are Canadian values...\" Trudeau said during the Khalsa Day Celebrations on Sunday in Toronto diplomatic tensionTrudeau's remarks come at a time when the diplomatic relations between India and Canada are going through a difficult phase. The killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, had sparked a row between India and Canada. Nijjar was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on the evening of June 18, 2023 had sparked a controversy on September 18 last year when he had told the Canadian House of Commons that Canadian security agencies had been actively pursuing“credible allegations of a potential link\" between agents of the Government of India and the killing of Nijjar.(With inputs from agencies))
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