Kathleen Wynne, the premier of Canada's Ontario province known for her support for gay rights, on Sunday offered prayers at the holiest of Sikh shrines Harmandar Sahib and was honoured by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.
Dressed in a firozi blue (turquoise) suit with her head covered with a dupatta (Punjabi-style stole), the premier was accompanied by SGPC officials as she entered the Golden Temple to offer prayers.
Kathleen's visit was preceded by a controversy over the SGPC taking a stand not to honour her with a 'siropa' (robe of honour) due to her views on same sex marriages, support for gay rights and being a lesbian herself.
SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar earlier said that the Canadian leader was welcome to offer prayers at the shrine but the SGPC would not honour her with a siropa due to her views on same sex marriages.
The SGPC maintained that the Sikh religion did not legitimise same sex marriages.
Pleased to have been honoured at the Golden Temple in Amritsar this morning. pic.twitter.com/k5Cfy2kwak
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) January 31, 2016
However, a major controversy was avoided as she was welcomed by SGPC officials, escorted to the SGPC information office, and presented with a gold-plated photo of the holy shrine.
SGPC officials and volunteers surrounded the Ontario premier from the moment she reached outside the shrine and escorted her till the sanctum sanctorum. She was shown all the important areas of the shrine.
Kathleen, in her note in the visitors' book, said she was humbled to visit the "beautiful sacred place".
She visited the 'Langar Hall' (community kitchen, the largest facility of its kind in the world), and briefly helped in cooking food.
Inspiring to speak with so many people working to improve their lives with the support of the @AshaSociety. pic.twitter.com/oS17toliYT
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) January 30, 2016
A visibly happy Kathleen bowed down -- on her knees and head touching the ground -- after she walked down the entrance steps of the shrine onto the 'parkarma' (marbled walking path around the holy shrine pool).
The Ontario premier arrived here on Saturday evening amid tight security arrangements. She is on a 10-day business trip to India. She met leading businessmen and industrialists here on Saturday evening and Sunday.
Canada and its Ontario province have a strong Punjabi connection, with a number of parliamentarians in Canada and lawmakers in provinces there having strong Punjab links.
Canada's new defence minister Harjit Sajjan was born in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district.
Speaking with Minister of Urban Development @MVenkaiahNaidu about sustainable development & infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/VqmLCd3AzY
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) January 30, 2016
With the presence of a strong Punjabi origin population, Canadian leaders have been coming to Punjab and offering prayers at Sikh shrines.
Then Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper visited the Golden Temple complex in November 2009 and Takht Keshgarh Sahib, birthplace of the 'Khalsa Panth' and the second most important Sikh shrine after the Golden Temple.
ONTARIO PREMIER ON INDIA VISIT TO BOOST TRADE
Ontario’s trade mission to India is working to build partnerships with the world’s third-largest economy. pic.twitter.com/3fOCAa2NCj
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) January 28, 2016
Premier Kathleen Wynne of Canada's Ontario arrived on Sunday on a six-day visit leading a 100-member business delegation in a bid boost the province's trade relations with India, the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) said in a statement here.
"Wynne's delegation will visit four cities -- New Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Mumbai -- and will formalize agreements and memorandums of understanding within the research, infrastructure, technology, science, health and education sectors," the statement said.
"Wynne will also meet with political and cultural leaders to build new relationships, strengthen existing ones and examine areas for future cooperation," it added.
Spoke w Kumar Mangalam Birla of @AdityaBirlaGrp & @BradDuguid @EconomicTimes Global Business Summit in Delhi. #ETGBS pic.twitter.com/qGG0kW5iRF
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) January 29, 2016
Ahead of her visit, Wynne, in provincial capital Toronto, noted that she "really believes that 2016 can be a huge year for Ontario and India because of what is going on in India and the plan that Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has put in place, the smart cities, the clean tech that is going be needed, and because of our potential here to provide capacity in all of those areas".
With 700,000 Ontarians being of Indian descent, ties between the province and India are already strong," former C-IBC president Kam Rathee, who is India-born, told reporters here.
"India is an important trade partner for Ontario. In 2014, total goods trade between Ontario and India was valued at almost $2 billion," he said.
Bilateral ties, that had become dormant, got a big boost with Prime Minister Modi's visit to Canada last year, he added.
In December last year, the first consignment of Canadian uranium was delivered in Mumbai marking the first commercial outcome the Canada-India Nuclear Co-operation Agreement that came into force in September 2013.
The India-Canada bilateral trade last year in goods amounted to over $6 billion, while that in services was worth $1.6 billion.
Together, government & business leaders of Ontario & India can build a strong economy & a healthy environment #ETGBS pic.twitter.com/kPG6ro5GIv
— Kathleen Wynne (@Kathleen_Wynne) January 30, 2016
The Ontario premier began her India tour with a visit on Sunday to the Golden Temple at Amritsar. A substantial part of the Indian-origin population of the province is Sikh.
