What Is the Turban Day Act? Here's Why a Canadian Province Passed It Unanimously

People of Manitoba will celebrate Turban Day on 13 April every year.

Diljeet Singh Brar (left) introduced the bill. He is standing next to MLA Jamie Moses.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@jmoses6)

The people of Manitoba, Canada, will celebrate Turban Day on 13 April every year after lawmakers of the province passed the Turban Day Act earlier this month on 1 June, The Indian Express reported on Monday, 13 June.

The bill, which aims to "provide a way for Manitoba to promote understanding of the significance of the turban and combat racism against Sikh Canadians," had its first reading on 24 March, the second reading on 7 April, and the third on 26 May, before finally getting royal assent on 1 June.

Interestingly, the bill, which said, "each year, 13 April is to be known throughout Manitoba as Turban Day," was passed unanimously without a single Opposition vote.

The date is significant because Baisakhi, an important festival for the Sikhs (who are around 5,00,000 strong in Canada) around the world, falls on 13 or 14 April each year, Diljeet Singh Brar, MLA Burrows, from the New Democratic Party (NDP) who had introduced the bill in the legislative assembly, told The Indian Express.

"Canada is known for accepting and embracing diverse cultures and faiths but even now, some Sikhs face racism and discrimination because of their turban, hair, and beard. We get complaints of Sikhs facing discrimination at workplaces, in public spaces such as parks, restaurants etc, and several comments are passed at them for the way they look," Brar added.

"The only answer to all this is awareness regarding the turban."

(With inputs from Indian Express.)