ON Sunday, February 28, the Indo-Canadian community hosted a massive “Tiranga and Maple Car Rally” of hundreds of cars to celebrate the growing ties between Canada and India.

The organizers said that in this time of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed so many lives around the globe, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come together in an effort to save lives by the supply of millions of vaccines.

“We thank India for practicing the ancient Vedic value of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ which means ‘the world is one family’. Supplying vaccines to Canada reaffirms this value and the friendship shared by the two great democracies. We also recognize India’s efforts of meeting a global demand by sharing its vaccine supply with over 40 countries from around the world,” the organizers said in a statement.

“We thank the efforts of the Trudeau-led Canadian government for their timely decision to secure COVID-19 vaccines from India. India has promised an immediate supply of 500,000 vaccines in the coming week followed by another supply of 2 million vaccine doses in the coming months. The action will save the lives of countless Canadians. Today is a proud moment for Indo-Canadians who have made significant contributions to the Canadian society.”

They added: “Finally, we would like to thank the Peel Regional Police and Ontario Provincial Police for their timely response to unruly elements who tried to threaten, attack and intimidate peaceful participants. We are confident the authorities will take further action against those who broke the law. The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to all citizens regardless of ideological differences.”