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A proud day for B.C. Sikhs
Canada’s first army cadet program sponsored by the Sikh community in Surrey has sparked interest in other communities to set up similar units across the country.
“I have been getting calls not only from other Sikh communities across Canada but also people from other ethnic communities,” said Harbinder Singh Sewak, publisher of the South Asian Post and the driving force behind the 3300 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps (RCACC), which had its formal inauguration and flag ceremony last week at Surrey’s Bombay Banquet Hall.
The event was attended by about 500 people including MP (Surrey North) Jasbir Sandhu, Senator Yonah Martin, senior officer of the Canadian military and the Canadian Cadet Corps.
“This is very rewarding and I hope what we have achieved can be used as a blueprint to increase the pluralism in Canada’s cadet corps,” said Sewak, the chairman of The Friends of the Sikh Cadet Society.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper in his congratulatory message to the 3300 RCACC said: “Today, the newly formed 3300 RCACC joins the Army Cadets family, a federally funded youth organization. The Cadet program helps prepare young people for the responsibilities of adulthood by developing character, instilling valuable life and work skills and by motivating participants to achieve their highest potential.
I would like to commend the parent sponsoring committee for assisting in fundraising activities ahead of the program’s launch. I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the dedicated officers and instructors who play an important role in shaping Canada’s future,” Harper said in a statement.
Coming from a long military tradition, Sewak, who also played the key role in involving the Canadian Armed Forces participation in the annual Khalsa Day parades in Surrey, came up with idea of forming a cadet corps organized by the Sikh community about two years ago.
He shared his thoughts with Lieutenant-Commander Kris Phillips then the Senior Public Affairs Officer for the Department of National Defence in Vancouver who brought it to the attention of General Walter John Natynczyk, the former Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces.
Impressed at what Sewak was trying to do, Natynczyk gave his blessings and presented Sewak with a special CDS Challenge Coin "for excellence".
Sewak’s core group which formed the Friends of the Sikh Cadet Society included Surrey businessman Babbar Singh Tumber and his brother Mukhtiar Singh Tumber, lawyer Amandeep Singh, Dr Sachdev Singh and Dr. Pargat Singh Bhurji.
“The flag ceremony last week, was the culmination of two years of work by a group of dedicated volunteers from BC’s Sikh community and the start of an exciting program for Surrey’s youth.”
Dr. Bhurji, who is now the chair of the Parent Sponsoring Committee of the 3300 RCACC said he can already see the values of the cadet corps being reflected in his 12-year-old son who has joined the unit.
His son is one of 60 new members of the new unit, already making it one of the largest cadet corps in BC.
Bababr Singh Tumber said the inauguration event was “a historical day for Sikhs in Canada which gathered to celebrate the birth of a new Army Cadet Program.”
Sewak acknowledged that it was not an easy road to get the 3300 RCACC going.
He met some objection last October over the cadet corps’ proposed name, “Surrey Sikhs.” The Department of National Defence wouldn’t approve it because they said it was not inclusive of all youths aged 12-18 and might deter non-Sikhs from joining.
Sewak urged the organizers to put the issue aside and settled on the temporary name 3300 RCACC, so the program could get rolling.
Major Jim Blomme, the commanding officer for 3300 Army Cadet Program congratulated all involved and saying the 3300 RCACC strives to provide a “premier program delivering leadership, teamwork and self-discipline skills.”
Sewak thanked all involved in making his dream of creating this cadet unit
“In these young men and women who make up the RCACC 3300 we see our future. Together we will prepare these young Canadians to become tomorrow’s leaders,” he added.
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