Premier Christy Clark issued the following statement recognizing the importance of Vaisakhi to B.C.'s Sikh community:

"More than 20 million Sikhs around the world celebrate Vaisakhi as a time of happiness and abundance. The largest Sikh celebration in North America is right here in B.C., where over 165,000 Sikhs take part in the celebration, honouring Vaisakhi's spirit of tradition, faith and community.

"I believe the reason holidays like Vaisakhi draw such huge support and enthusiasm is not just the result of demographics, but of the spirit of acceptance and inclusion that B.C. has a reputation for.

"Our Sikh communities make enormous social, economic and artistic contributions to our province, and for those reasons, Vaisakhi is an opportunity for all of us to gather in celebration and thanks.

"Happy Vaisakhi to you and your family! We look forward to a happy and prosperous new year."

Video of Premier Clark on Vaisakhi (youtu.be)

(flickr.com)

Chris Olsen
Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
604 220-1640