Speeches – 2008

The Honourable Jason Kenney

The Centenary Khilafat Banquet – 100 years of Khilafat

Markham, Ontario, Wednesday, June 25, 2008

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Your Holiness Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad,
Mr. Naseem Mahdi,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening.

It is a pleasure to be with you this evening to participate in commemorating the Centenary of the Khilafat Ahmadiyya. 

This centenary is a wonderful opportunity for Ahmadis around the world to celebrate the Khilafat Ahmadiyya and the spiritual teachings that sustain them as a community.  I am delighted to have this opportunity to extend my best wishes to members of the Ahmadi community here in Canada.

As many of you know, the first wave of Ahmadiyya immigrants arrived in Canada in the 1930s.  Today, having come from a variety of countries including Bhutan, India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, more than 10,000 Ahmadis contribute to this country' s success.

As members of a unique international community who have successfully settled into the fabric of Canadian society, you are an excellent illustration of what our Government means when it speaks about pluralism.

It' s about respecting our differences and at the same time actively participating and learning from each other.  It' s about working together to form a strong and cohesive Canada.

As Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity, I am proud to live in a country that embraces the many cultures and religions of the world.

The Government of Canada considers diversity to be one of our greatest assets, and we are committed to strengthening our pluralism and our national cohesion.

Our core values are freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.  The more than 200,000 people who come to Canada annually from every corner of the world embrace these values, and the Ahmadi community is an excellent example of this.

By encouraging interfaith dialogue and promoting understanding of and respect for other cultures, Ahmadis foster values that are an integral part of Canada' s proud heritage.

Your community knows first-hand what it is to experience persecution and discrimination based on your religious beliefs.  And so you understand at a very profound level the importance of promoting common understanding and mutual respect – the basic building blocks to achieve peace and stability here in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

Our Government is committed to preserving and enhancing respect for the value and dignity of all Canadians, and we appreciate the role that your community has played and will continue to play in helping us meet that objective.

Together, we are working to ensure that ours is a society where people from different backgrounds work, live, and succeed together.

One of the cornerstones of our pluralistic society is that all citizens benefit from equality under the law, regardless of their cultural or religious background.  As Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said, "pluralism allows individuals to retain their cultural, linguistic, and religious heritage within a framework of shared citizenship."

This banquet provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the Ahmadi community' s significant contribution to our shared Canadian identity. 

In closing, allow me to thank you for inviting me to participate in tonight' s celebration.  Enjoy the rest of the evening.