Hindu, Sikh refugees from Afghanistan arrive in Metro Vancouver, B.C.

More than 200 Hindu and Sikh refugees from Afghanistan have arrived in Canada, with a number of them now calling the Lower Mainland home.

Tarjinder Bhullar, director of the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, says many of these people had to flee Afghanistan in 2015 due to religious persecution, a number of them first seeking refuge in India before being sponsored to come to Canada.

“For so many of us, we probably will never, ever comprehend the exact gravity of what this means to these families,” she explained.

The foundation is named in memory of Bhullar’s brother, Manmeet Singh, who was a Conservative MLA in Alberta who pushed for the refugees to come to Canada. In his efforts, he often liaised with the affected families himself, according to the foundation’s website. He was killed in a vehicle crash in 2015.

This was in part due to work of the late Manmeet Singh Bhullar. He was a MLA from Alberta who was killed in a vehicle accident in 2015. Manmeet pushed to bring these refugees to Canada – his sister says "I often think it should be Manmeet here" to welcome them. @CityNewsVAN https://t.co/LwSwACPhw2

— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) March 22, 2022

His sister recalls some of the stories refugees told Manmeet before they were able to get to Canada.

“They were not able to practice final rights, according to their faith when someone passed away. Women were not able to do anything outside of their homes, children didn’t go to school, men faced daily violence when they tried to provide for their families. And now, you see that they are ready to start an entire new chapter in their lives,” Bhullar told CityNews. “I often think of it as, first their goal was to survive and now, by setting foot here in Canada, we hope that they are going to thrive. That’s a vast difference between the two, but we’re just happy to see that that’s where we’ve landed.”

Dozens of Afghan refugees arrived at Vancouver International in the last few days. Members of the local community welcomed them into their homes, as have others in Ontario.

The families come to Canada through private sponsorship. Bhullar says in many cases, families are sponsored by the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, meaning the group is responsible for ensuring the refugees’ needs are “completely met” for the first year.

Exclusive chat with @MSidhuLiberal Cdn Parliament Sec. of Foreign affairs visited here to welcome Hindu’s & Sikh #Afghan families, landed here to resettle in BC. He also talked about #UkraineRussia war impacts to Canada.Tonight @OMNIpunjabi ⁦@theMSBF⁩ pic.twitter.com/Jd939DewH1

— Prabhjot Kahlon (@PrabhjotKahlon) March 17, 2022

“What we are lucky to have is a network of individuals throughout Canada that have helped us. You know, Sikh families have made their way to Kelowna and they’ve been paired up with local families there that will be providing them that care and comfort of knowing that they have a support system as they begin their new life,” said Bhullar, adding there are also families who arrived in 2019 who have opened up their homes to help.

The next step is to help the refugees secure housing and employment, and get children into schools.

Bhullar says it’s been a real team effort to help these newcomers to Canada, adding communities and groups across this country have come together.

“It’s never lost on us that we have the community’s support. Organizations big and small, families, individuals — they all have contributed to this. There are so many organizations that have just stepped up in remarkable ways,” she said.

More Sikh and Hindu refugees fleeing violence and persecution in Afghanistan have now arrived in Canada.

We speak with Tarjinder (@TBhullar) and Baljinder Bhullar on continuing the legacy begun by Manmeet Singh Bhullar in 2015. @theMSBF @PrabhjotKahlon pic.twitter.com/WoOx0wuU1T

— OMNI Punjabi (@OMNIpunjabi) March 22, 2022