Dear friends,
February 26, 2021 marked the one-year anniversary since the inception of our not-for-profit organization, Hindu Forum Canada (HFC). We are very proud of our accomplishments and achievements over the last year despite the unrelenting Covid-19 pandemic. During these trying times, HFC stood resolute and continued to deliver for Hindu-Canadians and Canada.
HFC was founded to provide an organization where we can work on our four-fold goals, namely:
- To fight Hinduphobia in its many forms
- To work towards a more favorable representation and overall image of Hindus and Hinduism
- To nurture strong ties and mutual understanding between two great democracies: Canada and India
- To serve the Community and our beloved country, Canada
With our four-fold goals serving as our guiding light, we have pursued the following initiatives to name a few:
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- We conducted community and political outreach efforts to all Canadian MPs and MPPs, city politicians and media outlets to better inform them about India’s Citizenship and Amendment Act (CAA), which was criticized unfairly and incorrectly. We wanted Canadians to know about the true spirit of CAA which was only facilitating citizenship of persecuted Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. This act was not stripping the rights of citizenship of any other community which was false propaganda spread by forces unfriendly to India.
- We requested municipal governments across Canada to temporarily grant permission to Hindus to broadcast sacred hymns and devotional music from temples during Covid-19 lockdowns. Many cities generously granted our Hindu communities this permission.
- HFC has set up a regular Hindu Food Bank for the needy, homeless and for shelters homes across the GTA.
- In order to appreciate and serve our frontline workers, we have redeployed our Food Bank meal delivery service at various locations in the GTA.
- HFC arranged an LED Truck Tour across the GTA on November 26, 2020 in remembrance of the horrific Mumbai Terror Attack (26/11) and reminded Canadian Politicians to seek justice for the 2 Canadians who were killed and several Canadians who were injured during that terror attack. HFC’s petition on Change.org received over 8000 signatures.
- HFC arranged another LED Truck Tour across the GTA on January 19, 2021 in remembrance of the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide and Exodus.
- HFC arranged several protests outside the Chinese Consulate and Pakistani Consulate in order to raise awareness regarding the brutal persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China and Christians, Hindus and Sikhs in Pakistan.
- HFC was able to secure 2 letters of solidarity and recognition from Conservative MPs Bob Saroya and Warren Steinley condemning cross border terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir.
- HFC also enlightened Canadian Politicians across all parties about negative propaganda against the new Farm Laws in India. We also produced a professional informational video to dispel myths about the Farm Laws which was very well received.
- Upon observing the biased and ill-conceived petition submitted by Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu (on behalf of some of her constituents) regarding the Kashmir dispute, HFC immediately sent her a stern letter requesting her to retract her petition as it did not represent ground realities. MP Gladu promptly conceded the incorrect points of the petition and issued a formal apology to the Canadian Hindu and Indian Diaspora.
- HFC put up over a dozen billboards across the GTA thanking India and PM Narendra Modi for providing vaccine does to Canada in its time of need.
- HFC has set up a free transportation service for seniors to and from Covid-19 Vaccination Centres.
- HFC requested the Toronto District School Board to take action against a teacher who used Nazi slurs for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. TDSB performed a thorough investigation and asked the teacher to remove such hateful symbols from his website.
- HFC took action against a realtor who was using hateful remarks against Hindus on his social media pages.
- HFC has begun assembling a team of successful lawyers to help take legal actions against those individuals and groups which perpetrate and propagate hatred against Hindus.
- HFC has written numerous letters to Canadian media outlets who seem to maliciously target Hindus and the peaceful philosophies which are the bedrock of Hindutva.
- HFC has set up a Hindu Voters Portal (a database and scorecard system) in order to assess Canadian Political Parties and their respective understanding towards the needs and wants of Hindus and Hinduism.
- HFC has written letters to all faith-based organizations in Canada to seek their partnership to fight Hinduphobia
In closing, we hope and trust we will continue to have your unwavering support as we continue to work and serve the Hindu and Canadian community based on our four-fold goals and focus areas. We look forward to our future collaborations and efforts to improve the representation and perception of Hindus and Hinduism in Canada.
Your ongoing support for Hindu Forum Canada’s mission is deeply felt and appreciated. If you have any questions, concerns, or are looking for additional details about this document, please contact us at (647) 749-9444, (416) 624-5009, or email us at info@hinduforumcanada.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors, Hindu Forum Canada
HFC03121/T/AB/RF/T