It is indeed heartening to see so many women make a mark in Canada’s political scene…

Prime Minister Trudeau made a commitment to do that, and he kept it. And we have a lot of talented Parliamentarians to choose from, so 50 per cent are women. On the Indian diaspora, yes it is quite something. Regardless of the diaspora, India according to our Prime Minister, remains a top priority. It certainly helps that you have knowledge of India, around the cabinet table, around the halls of Parliament. India’s a priority. It is positive overall, it is a reflection of Canada. It is our openness, our multiculturalism that is there before us. We welcomed many refugees from Syria, so all of it points to this inclusiveness, this harmony. It is welcoming, which I think is a testimony to Canada. We do not see that too much broadly around the world these days. 

The Komagata Maru incident was a watershed moment in Canada-India relations. Prime Minister Trudeau recently said that the Sikh community deserves a full apology for the incident that happened over 100 years ago. What significance does such an apology hold in the context of the presence of a large number of Sikh families in Canada?

We have approximately 500,000 Sikh community in Canada which I believe is the largest outside of Punjab. And so I think while I cannot speak specifically for the community, I think this is something that has received very positive reception. But you know from our Prime Minister’s perspective, it is an important thing to do, and it is the right thing to do. And so I think it is less about what the reception is going to be, it is more about something that is long overdue and is the right thing to do. From that perspective we will be looking forward to that happening on May 18 in the house.