IN marking Sikh Heritage Month, the World Sikh Organization of Canada will be hosting “KaursVotes” panels in cities across Canada.
KaursVote is a non-partisan initiative that will address the underrepresentation 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.
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. Politicians routinely court male members of the Sikh community without addressing the specific needs of Sikh women or creating forums through which women can have their issues heard. There are a number of possible reasons for this lack of engagement with Sikh women, which the WSO’s KaursVote initiative will help address.
The WSO will be initially hosting panel discussions in Brampton and Surrey with panels to follow in Calgary and Edmonton. 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.
The KaursVote panels currently planned for Sikh Heritage Month in April are as follows:
Brampton: April 6 from 2 to 4 p.m. at PAMA, 9 Wellington Street East Brampton. https://www.
Surrey: April 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Strawberry Hill Library – Surrey Libraries 7399 122nd Street, Strawberry Hill Library Meeting Room, Surrey, BC. https://www.eventbrite.ca/
Details on panels in Edmonton and Calgary will follow shortly.
