ABBOTSFORD – Thousands in Canada gathered along with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Christy Clark and NDP leader Adrian Dix along with other politicians at the Gur Sikh temple, the oldest gurdwara in North America, in Abbotsford, BC, on Sunday for the centennial celebrations.

A grand parade was held on Sunday and attended by thousands of Sikhs, which gave politicians an opportunity to pay their tributes to the Sikh community.

“It is an honour for me to be here today to celebrate the Gur Sikh Temple’s 100th anniversary,” Harper said. “On this occasion, we reflect on the tremendous contributions of the Sikh community in Canada – a community that continues to play an important role in building our strong, dynamic society while taking great pride in their faith and traditions.”

Harper said the temple “embodies the courage, hardships and perseverance of Sikh pioneers, as well as their success in retaining religious beliefs, while adapting to new conditions and integrating into Canadian society”.

Also known as the Abbotsford Sikh Temple, the Gur Sikh Temple is a reminder of the religious, social and political role that temples played in Canada’s earliest Sikh communities. The Gur Sikh Temple was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2002.

Funding provided by the government will be used to build a museum within the temple, a mural and monument commemorating its creation, as well as a new gate to the Gurdwara – or temple. A series of artistic and cultural activities will also be held, enabling local residents to celebrate this historic anniversary along with the Sikh community.

Canada is home to more than 300,000 Sikhs. Their extraordinary success in every field of endeavour – including business, science, medicine, the arts and politics – has helped shape the strong and dynamic country we know today.

“I offer my sincere congratulations on this important milestone in British Columbia’s and the Sikh community’s history,” Clark said.

“In 1908, local Sikhs, most of them new to Canada, began work on a temple in Abbotsford. It took them four years and countless hours of physical and emotional effort before it was completed. Now, 100 years later, Sikhs and non-Sikhs continue to gather to celebrate the beautiful Sikh Gurdwara

Temple,” she said. “Today, the Temple is more than just a building. It’s a sacred place with a long history of holiness, community and family. The Temple and the people who continue to care for it are a significant part of the cultural mosaic that makes our province great.