Ujjal Dosanjh receives civil courage award

Former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh has been honoured for his courage in speaking up for democracy and against violence.
Dosanjh received the inaugural Wallenberg-Sugihara Civil Courage Award at a ceremony Sunday afternoon in downtown Vancouver.

The award is to be given to an individual with B.C. ties who “helped improve the lives of others and society, while defying unjust laws, norms or conventions of the time and place.”
The selection committee noted that Dosanjh spoke out against Sikh extremism in the 1980s, which earned him a severe beating with a metal bar, and “continues to be a consistent voice for social justice and a critic of sectarian violence.”

The award was created in honour of Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg and Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara, who stood against the orders of their governments and saved Jews during the Second World War.
Sunday’s event was attended by a number dignitaries, including Lt.-Gov. Judith Guichon, the consul general of Switzerland and representatives of Vancouver city council.