The OFL helped recognize May as South Asian Heritage Month by co-hosting a labour celebration at Brampton’s Sagan Banquet Hall on May 8. The event drew over 300 participants to celebrate South Asian cultures and honour labour and community activism. Among the event sponsors were the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the Brampton-Mississauga and District Labour Council (BMDLC), the Asian Canadian Labour Alliance (ACLA), the Latin American Trade Unionists Coalition (LATUC), the Coalition for Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)–Ontario Chapter, and a number of affiliates.
Emceed by OFL Executive Vice-President Irwin Nanda, the event included an amazing dinner, cultural performances and dancing, but it also included passionate speeches about the barriers that have faced South Asian Canadians since their first arrival in the late 19th Century. Keynote speakers included CLC Executive Vice-President Marie Clarke Walker, NDP MPP Jagmeet Singh and OFL President Sid Ryan.
Among the activists recognized during the evening were the youth campaigners who helped NDP candidate Jagmeet Singh win the riding of Bramalee-Gore-Malton, Brampton-Mississauga and District Labour Council President Motilall Sarjoo and CLC Regional Staff Representatives, Gogi Bhandal and Medhi Kouhestaninejad.
