Canada values diversity and to that effect a Canadian company has joined hands with an Indian company to produce a tablet that will help people learn to read and write Punjabi and Gurmukhi, said Bardish Chagger in an interview.
Chagger is one of the four Sikhs in the Canadian Cabinet and holds the portfolio of Minister of Small Business and Tourism. She is also the first woman in Canadian history to have been appointed the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
No small achievement for a woman who even today refers to her as a ‘Punjabi child’. “My dad’s from Ludhiana and my mom’s from Phillaur. I am a Punjabi child, so the first language I learnt to speak in Canada was Punjabi,” she said.
To prove the point she makes her next point in perfect Punjabi. “My chachaji’s son got married in Amritsar, so I got to attend the wedding. I also went to the Golden Temple,” she said.
Canada is also launching its third direct flight from Mumbai to Toronto from July 1. Canada already has two direct flights, Vancouver to Delhi and Toronto to Delhi, all operated by Air Canada.
Chagger makes no bones of the fact that the strength of Canada lies in its diversity. “When people are Canadians, we want them to be close to their food, culture. I am really proud of my Indian roots,” she said.
She also points out that what the Punjabis have brought to Canada is their ability to engage with the community, “to make it their own, so whether it’s by doing volunteer work, seva or by joining the political process, donating or running for office”. She points out that the Punjabi ability to do so has been a huge influence. She says this foundation has been laid for generations.
“We build and shape the community we live in and want others to live in,” Chagger says.
The minister refuses to be critical of the change in the immigration policies of the United States and instead says, “The US is our cousins to the South. They are our family and with a family you will always find ways to work. And that is part of my Indian roots that we will always find a way to work together.”
