2 weeks Ago By Sarah Grochowski
Surrey’s streets overflowed with colour, music and crowds on Saturday, as one of the world’s largest Sikh festivals returned in full force — and doubled as a campaign stop for federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. An estimated 550,000 people gathered for the city’s annual Vaisakhi celebration, which began at 9 a.m.
at Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar. The event marked its 26th year with an energetic parade through Newton, where several streets were closed to accommodate the enormous turnout. Taking to the main stage along 128 Street around 11 a.
m., Singh greeted the crowd in Punjabi and called on voters to support the NDP during advance polling for the federal election in B.C.
“Give the NDP another opportunity and don’t give one party all the power — give the NDP some,” Singh said, according to a translator. Before addressing the Vaisakhi crowds, the Burnaby South MP reiterated his party’s commitment to expanding access to health care, pledging everyone’s universal access to a family doctor by 2030 and the rollout of free diabetes medication and birth control by the end of the year as part of a national pharmacare plan. The NDP leader highlighted his party’s push to make essential drugs free, and reinforced his message that concentrated power in Ottawa doesn’t serve Canadians’ best interests.
He also reflected on the deeper meaning of Vaisakhi, speaking about Ik Onkar — the belief that there is only one God — and its relevance to Canadian life. “We are one,” Sing said. “If someone else gets hurt, we get hurt.
If someone else is looked after, we are looked after.” Premier David Eby also addressed the gathering, saying “the values of the Sikh religion have never been more important to us as British Columbians — working together, supporting each other, lifting each other up — especially at a time when others want to drive hate and division.” Vaisakhi, which marks the Punjabi New Year and the harvest season, also commemorates the 1699 founding of the Khalsa, signifying the birth of Sikhism as a distinct faith.
Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar has hosted the annual parade since it opened in 1998. Attendance quickly grew from 60,000 in the early years to nearly 500,000 by 2019, making it one of the largest Vaisakhi celebrations outside of India. Moninder Singh, spokesperson for the temple, said the scale of the event reflects not only the strength of the Sikh community, but its commitment to service and inclusion.
This year, over 3,500 volunteers from schools, businesses and community groups offered tea, Punjabi sweets and vegetarian meals to attendees under tents lining the parade route. “This year we have a lot of different communities setting up their own tents,” said Singh. “So, we get to showcase the Sikh community this year, but we also have the Sikh community learning about other faiths and other cultures living in Surrey.
” One of Singh’s opponents, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, was also campaigning in Metro Vancouver on Saturday. He announced that a Conservative government would give judges the power to sentence drug-addicted offenders to mandatory treatment. “Richmond has been particularly hard hit, and I’m very thankful to the Chinese community in Richmond for being the leading voice against these radical drug liberalization policies of the last decade,” Poilievre said.
Liberal leader Mark Carney was in Whitby, Ont., where he announced he would implement $130 billion on new measures over the next four years, including increased military spending in response to U.S.
President Donald Trump’s annexation threats. With files from Tiffany Crawford [email protected] RelatedSurrey police partner with search-and-rescue to find lost loved ones at Vaisakhi paradeVancouver's annual Vaisakhi parade draws thousands to Punjabi Market.
