
Territorial Liberals to hold leadership convention to replace Yukon premier
A leadership convention is being held in Whitehorse where more than 1,000 eligible party members can vote for either Doris Bill, a former Kwanlin Dun First Nation chief, or local businessman Mike Pemberton.
They are running to replace outgoing Premier Ranj Pillai who announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election and would step down after his successor was chosen.
Eligible voters will be using a ranked preferential ballot and the candidate who receives 50 per cent plus one of the total number of votes will be declared the winner.
The next territorial election must be held on or before Nov. 3.
The Liberals hold a minority government in Yukon with eight of the 19 available seats in the legislature.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025
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Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Poilievre calls for Bishnoi Gang to be designated a terrorist group as part of tough-on-crime agenda
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is the latest politician calling for the federal government to designate the India-based Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity. His urging came during a visit to Surrey, B.C. RCMP there announced last month it had made two arrests in an extortion investigation targeting the South Asian business community. Police have linked some extortion cases back to the gang, whose leader Lawrence Bishnoi is in prison in India. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Poilievre says the Conservatives are planning to push a tough-on-crime agenda in the House of Commons, when Parliament resumes in the fall. A terror designation for the Bishnoi gang will be part of that, he promised. The move is intended, he says, to help police and prosecutors deal with the international group, which has been active in Surrey, as well as cities such as Calgary and Brampton. Poilievre also says his party will push to increase mandatory prison sentences for extortion, starting with four years for a first offence. 'Our plan repeals catch-and-release bail, brings in mandatory jail time for repeat offenders and ensures that we have a ban on the Bishnoi terrorists, so that this network of extortionists and terrorists are automatically criminalized,' Poilievre said during a news conference. Poilievre is following B.C. Premier David Eby, who asked the federal government to declare the gang a terrorist organization back in June, and the same call made by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last month. The Conservative Party released a statement about the Bishnoi Gang on Aug. 11. Frank Caputo, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety, wrote to the federal Minister of Public Safety stating that the gang activities 'include political shootings, extortion of South Asian Canadians and extreme violence … Additionally, Gang members boast of such activities to intimidate other potential targets.' As a result, wrote Caputo, 'law enforcement and all levels of government (should be given) the tools necessary to address the Gang's activities. The designation would permit the government to push back against the Gang with financial, criminal and property sanctions. BREAKING Conservatives call on the Liberals to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization. Communities are being terrorized. It's time for the Liberals to act. My letter👇🏼. Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs – the largest number outside India. Many moved to Canada in the 1980s when Indian forces launched a violent crackdown on alleged supporters of a movement demanding a separate Sikh homeland, Khalistan, to be carved out of the northern state of Punjab. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have faced allegations from Canadian officials, including Canada's former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP, that Indian intelligence agents have been attempting to carry out targeted assassinations of Sikh separatists overseas, including Canada. The killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, outside a Sikh temple in B.C. on June 18, 2023, pushed Bishnoi and his gang into the centre spotlight of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. Lawrence Bishnoi gained notoriety back in May 2022, when the gang allegedly murdered prominent Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab. Police said Bishnoi's colleague Goldy Brar allegedly orchestrated Moosewala's killing from Canada. The Bishnoi group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on the homes of two prominent Punjabi singers , AP Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, in B.C., over the past two years, as its empire of fear has expanded from Mumbai to Mississauga, Ont. And, on Aug. 7, an alleged Bishnoi gang member claimed responsibility for gunshots fired at a cafe in Surrey, B.C. owned by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma. Indian police officials have said that Bishnoi, 32, controls more t han 700 sharpshooters who carry out murders and extortion globally. And he does this from behind bars, shuffling between various prisons for nearly a decade now. The South Asian community in Surrey and Brampton has been campaigning for more safety on social media, uploading videos of various shootings in the two cities. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .


Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Poilievre calls for Bishnoi Gang to be designated a terrorist group as part of tough-on-crime agenda
Article content The Conservative Party released a statement about the Bishnoi Gang on Aug. 11. Article content Frank Caputo, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Safety, wrote to the federal Minister of Public Safety stating that the gang activities 'include political shootings, extortion of South Asian Canadians and extreme violence … Additionally, Gang members boast of such activities to intimidate other potential targets.' Article content As a result, wrote Caputo, 'law enforcement and all levels of government (should be given) the tools necessary to address the Gang's activities. The designation would permit the government to push back against the Gang with financial, criminal and property sanctions. Article content BREAKING Conservatives call on the Liberals to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization. Communities are being terrorized. It's time for the Liberals to act. My letter👇🏼. — Frank Caputo (@FrankCaputoKTN) August 11, 2025 Article content Article content Why is this an issue for Sikhs in Canada? Article content Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs – the largest number outside India. Many moved to Canada in the 1980s when Indian forces launched a violent crackdown on alleged supporters of a movement demanding a separate Sikh homeland, Khalistan, to be carved out of the northern state of Punjab. Article content India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government have faced allegations from Canadian officials, including Canada's former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP, that Indian intelligence agents have been attempting to carry out targeted assassinations of Sikh separatists overseas, including Canada. Article content What alleged murders are linked to the gang? Article content The killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, outside a Sikh temple in B.C. on June 18, 2023, pushed Bishnoi and his gang into the centre spotlight of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. Article content Article content Lawrence Bishnoi gained notoriety back in May 2022, when the gang allegedly murdered prominent Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab. Police said Bishnoi's colleague Goldy Brar allegedly orchestrated Moosewala's killing from Canada. Article content The Bishnoi group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on the homes of two prominent Punjabi singers, AP Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, in B.C., over the past two years, as its empire of fear has expanded from Mumbai to Mississauga, Ont. And, on Aug. 7, an alleged Bishnoi gang member claimed responsibility for gunshots fired at a cafe in Surrey, B.C. owned by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma.


Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. names facilitator to help Okanagan Falls become municipality, name to be decided
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