7 February 2010

Dear members of the Nepali communities in Canada,

Since its inception, Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) has been raising the issue of dual citizenship with the Government of Nepal (GoN) and NRNA has made a number of strategic adjustments along the way to secure NRN rights. A few weeks ago, GoN released a process by which NRNs could obtain NRN cards through Nepalese diplomatic missions.  Along with the release of this news, the subject of dual citizenship has becomes a hot topic of discussion and debate in almost every interaction program that the Nepali Diaspora holds with the political leaders and government officials of Nepal.

The Government of Nepal has not decided for issuing dual citizenship. We are aware that NRNs are watching this development carefully and various views have emerged. At the same time there also have been progresses in terms of ongoing parliamentary committee discussions, making of some regulations and bills, and some steps towards reorganization of NRN rights.  Please kindly read for yourself what has been concretely achieved to this date from the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs at http://www.mofa.gov.np/nrn.php and read it critically. With this understanding you could help us formulate a collective position by sending your suggestions to NRN-Canada NCC.

A team of NRN-Canada NCC members coordinated by Mr. Manik Duggar has been formed to work on a draft position paper, which will be shared with you as soon as it is ready. We request you to send your comments and suggestions now and also after the release of the draft so that all opinions could be known and the position paper could be finalized with maximum inputs. Our position paper will then be presented to the NRNA-ICC for necessary actions.
 
Comments and suggestions can be sent to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
We anticipate your maximum cooperation and due diligence.

Sincerely,

Naba Raj Gurung
President

 

The enormous death toll, human suffering, and destruction of infrastructure befallen on Haiti due to 7.0 Richter scale earthquake has touched the world citizenry and reminded our smallness in front of the power of nature. Having come from Nepal, a country that has endured "hardship", we can very well imagine the situation of Haiti resulted from the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Haiti. We are thousands of miles away and remain physically unaffected but we definitely are deeply moved by this one of the worst disasters that has happened to mankind.

Nepalese communities in Canada express deep sympathies, and express their condolences to Haitian people on the loss of their loved ones.. We want to share the pain and suffering of the surviving Haitian people and show our solidarity with them. Nepalese communities are emotionally drawn by this natural catastrophe, remembering their own past experiences in earthquake prone Nepal.

To show solidarity with the Haitian people and all those who have been affected, NRN-Canada is appealing to all Nepali communities and individuals in Canada to contribute or raise funds in their capacities. To streamline the process, NRN-Canada will not be collecting the funds itself, but requests each all Nepali Community Associations or Societies or individuals to contribute directly to the Canadian charitable organizations of their choice, dedicating to Haiti Earthquake relief efforts.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Raju Tuladhar

Spokeperson, NRN-Canada

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Welcome Program and Interaction with the Nepalese Ambassador to Canada
Ottawa Citizen Hall
1101 Baxter Road, Ottawa, ON
2:00-5:00 PM
December 31, 2009

Program Outline

A. Opening and Welcome: 10 minutes

Master of Ceremony: Dr. Govinda Dahal, NRN-Canada NCC Member and NCAO Executive
Program Chair: Mr. Naba Raj Gurung, President, NRN-Canada
Welcome from Community: Ms. Radha Basnet, NRN-Canada NCC Member and ACNC President

B. Introducing Community Associations: 30 minutes

Nepalese Janajati Association of Canada: Mr. Angbaru Sherpa, President and Mr. Raj Kumar Rai, Advisor
Canadian Newa Guthi: Mr. Roshan Raj Karmacharya, Former Vice-President
Nepalese Community Network of Canada: Mr. Kiran Pant, President
Nepalese Canadian Community Services: Ms. Susan Bhandari, Executive Member
Nepalese Canadian Magar Association: Mr. Giri Raj Budhathoki, President
Association of Nepalese in Quebec: Mr. Prakash Mungarati- President
Association of Canadian Nepali Community: Mr. Bharat Chudal, Treasurer
Nepalese Canadian Association of Ottawa: Mr. Ashish Duwadi, Executive Board Member
Canada Foundation for Nepal: Mr. Pradeep Raj Sharma, Treasurer

C. Projects of Nepalese Communities in Canada: (15 min)

Nepalese Community Centre Project in the GTA: Mr. Sanjiv Rizal
Community Child Care Centre Project in Nepal: Mr. Michael Casey and Mrs. Tineke Casey
Community Youth Radio Project Ottawa: Mr. Shaligam Aryal and Mr. Prashanta Dhakal,

D: NRN-Canada Initiatives: (25 min)

Connecting to Roots Program and Deusi-Bhailo: Mr. Anup Neupane
Model Village Development Program: Dr. Naveen Vaidya
Language, Literature and Culture Promotion: Mr. Mukti Gautam
Women and Children Initiatives: Ms. Radha Basnet and Dr. Sara Chhetri
Access to Education in Nepal: Mr. Benjamin Wood and Ms. Geeta Thapa

E: Memorandum Reading and Handover: (10 min)

Reading of Dual Citizenship Memorandum: Mr. Chandra Rai
Reading of Establishment of Honorary Consulate in Calgary Memorandum: Mr. Mugadhan Rajbhandari
Memorandum Handover: Mr. Naba Raj Gurung to Dr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire

F: NRN-Canada and Embassy Relations: (20 min)

Presentation on behalf of NRN-Canada, Mr. Naba Raj Gurung, President
Presentation on behalf of Nepalese Embassy, His Excellency Dr. Bhoj Raj Ghimire, Ambassador

G: Vote of Thanks: (3 min)

Dr. Pramod Dhakal, Member of NRNA ICC, International Affairs Coordinator of NRN-Canada, and Executive Director of CFFN

E. Plenary Session: (20 min)

All participant friends will have opportunity to ask questions to the presenters
Adjournment of Formal Program

F. Informal Socialization: (50 min)

The hall is booked in such a manner that all interested participants could stay longer for socialization

G: New Year Eve Celebration: (5 hours)

7PM-12:30AM
Featuring Pradeep Baskota and his band from Toronto
Two celebrations are in order by local community organizations.

NRN - Canada Newsletter

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NRN-Canada Report to the 4th NRN Global Conference 2009

(Note: The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) holds global conference in Nepal once in every two year. All National Coordination Councils (currently 55 NCCs) that are members of the NRNA are given an outline to report to the global secretariat for the global conference. This NRN-Canada report was submitted to the NRNA Secretariat for the purpose of 4th NRN Global Conference held on 13-15 October 2009 in Kathmandu. Highlights were presented at the conference. A condensed version is published in the 4th Global Conference Souvenir.)

Background

Canadians can trace their origins to an immigrant past. However, Canada’s immigration policy has not always been one with an open door. It was in 1971 that the federal government announced its policy of multiculturalism. Canadians today reflect a vast diversity of cultural heritages and racial groups. This multicultural diversity is a result of centuries of immigration. The people of Nepali origin have become one of the threads of such mosaic.