John Ivison: Conservatives aren't listening to Harper's warnings about avoiding India politics
Conservative party deputy leader Tim Uppal posted on social media on Wednesday morning, urging Sikhs to remember 1984.
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'Forty one years ago, a pre-planned attack by the Indian army named Operation Blue Star was executed against one of the Sikh's holiest places of worship, the Golden Temple, on one of the holiest days… Although intended to destroy the community, Sikhs have grown stronger over the years.'
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It is not clear whether Uppal posted the reminder of an episode that inflames Khalistani separatists in spite of, or because of, remarks made by his former boss Stephen Harper at an event in Brampton, Ont. last weekend.
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The ex-prime minister urged all political parties to heed two points: firstly, that today more than ever, Canada needs a strong relationship with India; and, secondly, that any party that aspires to government must 'sever its relations with those who seek bring the battle of India's past to Canada.'
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While such people have the right to their democratic views, just as we tolerate those who want to break up Canada, we do not tolerate such views in parties that wish to govern the country, he said. When he was in government, his caucus understood this, he added.
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There was a sense in the pointed nature of his message that he does not think this is the case now in Pierre Poilievre's Conservative party.
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There are subtle signs of Sikh ascendancy.
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Harper is said to have been asked by the Conservative campaign not to post any photos of himself and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during Harper's visit to the sub-continent in February.
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Hindus say they were upset by what they considered a weak response from Poilievre (and Liberal Leader Mark Carney) to the murder of 25 mainly Hindu tourists in Jammu and Kashmir during the election. The terrorists, thought to be Pakistan-linked Islamists, reportedly asked their victims their religion before shooting them. Neither Canadian leader mentioned India or that the victims were predominantly Hindu in their responses
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Sikhs now dominate positions of power in the Conservative party: Uppal is deputy leader, Jasraj Hallan is the finance critic, and Arpin Khanna led the party's outreach effort during the election. (Khanna was previously the Ontario co-chair of Poilievre's leadership campaign and was endorsed by the leader when he ran in a by-election in Oxford, Ont., to replace veteran Dave MacKenzie.)
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Canada Standard
12 hours ago
- Canada Standard
"Canadian politicians must distance themselves from extremists": Journalist Mocha Bezirgan alleges assault by Khalistanis at Vancouver rally
Vancouver [Canada], June 8 (ANI): An independant Canadian investigative journalist on Sunday alleged that he was physically assaulted and 'threatened' by a group of Khalistan supporters and had his phone snatched while reporting their rally in Vancouver. The journalist, Mocha Bezirgan, who posted his ordeal on social media platform X said that the Khalistani extremist movement in Canada has raised serious security concerns and strained ties between India and Canada. 'It just happened two hours ago and I'm still shaking,' Bezirgan told ANI in a phone interview. 'They acted like thugs - crowding in on me, grabbing my phone, trying to stop me recording.' The incident occurred while Bezirgan was in Vancouver city to cover a rally organised by Khalistan supporters. The Canadian journalist described the attack as 'thuggery' and said he was targeted for his editorial independence and past coverage of Khalistan-related protests. Earlier he took to X to post, 'I've been surrounded by a group of Khalistanis who grabbed my phone out of my hand and threatened me. Naturally I'm a bit shaken, but not deterred.' Bezirgan further said that the pro-Khalistan movement has led to acts of vandalism, intimidation, and violent rhetoric, despite not being widespread within the Sikh community. On being asked about Khalistani extremism, the Canadian investigative journalist said, 'This is a movement headed by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). They are the ones organising it, and most of the time, it's the same people attending these protests, whether it be in Ontario, British Columbia, US, UK, New Zealand. They mobilise people to come from local Gurudwaras to create a little bit of crowd, but there are bigger political organizations like the World Sikh Organization which is based in Canada and they are they have a troubled history and they do the political cover in Canada. He highlighted that larger political organizations such as the World Sikh Organization, based in Canada, provide political cover for the movement. 'Their executives include current and former MPs and ministers, who have spread influence across Canadian institutions,' said the Canadian journalist. Bezirgan also expressed concern over the reluctance of Canadian politicians to condemn these extremist groups. 'Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, the NDP, and some Liberal MPs recently attended a Nagar Kirtan in Surrey, BC, which had significant Khalistani influence. They shared the stage with Santokh Singh Kelha, a convicted Sikh Canadian who conspired to bomb an airplane,' Bezirgan said. Bezirgan condemned the glorification of violence by these groups, who the journalist said speak openly about plans to ambush and kill India's current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. '...Because of the tensions between Canada and India, it's a very highly political subject, but I feel like we are disregarding what's happening underground. What these people are saying, how they are exercising their free speech while they are celebrating the assassins of Indira Gandhi and saying that they are going to ambush and kill India's Prime Minister, Modi's politics at the G7. I asked them Are you going to kill his politics the same way you killed Indira Gandhi's politics? Because they refer to the assassins as their forefathers. They say we are the descendants of the killers of Indira Gandhi, and they are glorifying these acts of violence...' 'It is disturbing that Canadian politicians continue to associate with such extremists, despite their violent history and inflammatory rhetoric,' Bezirgan said. He warned that lack of media coverage and public awareness in Canada allows such events and political participation to go unchecked. Bezirgan called for greater accountability and awareness to prevent normalization of extremism. 'As a citizen, I expect my representatives to distance themselves from extremists and those with violent pasts.' The investigative journalist emphasized that ignoring these issues would embolden extremist groups and escalate tensions between India and Canada. 'Today's thuggery I was subjected to was not the first time,' said the journalist who posted visuals on his social media platform X about an event from March 2024 when 'Khalistan supporters, armed with daggers, swords, and spears, gathered in Edmonton, Alberta to protest against India's high commissioner to Canada.' Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed on June 6 that he will represent India at the upcoming G-7 summit in Canada next week, after he was invited by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney during a telephone call. (ANI)
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Carney says Canada to focus on peace, energy security and new partnerships at G7 meeting
Canada has unveiled its priorities for the G7 leaders' summit just one week before it gets underway in Alberta as the government defends its decision to invite India to the summit. Prime Minister Mark Carney's office says Ottawa's top priority for the summit will be strengthening global peace and security, which includes countering foreign interference and transnational crime, as well as improving responses to wildfires. His office also says Canada will focus on spurring economic growth by improving energy security, fortifying supply chains for critical minerals and accelerating the use of artificial intelligence. Lastly, Canada will discuss creating jobs by securing partnerships to open new markets and generate large infrastructure investments. In addition, Canada plans to use its invitation for guests outside the group to discuss how to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine, and to 'build coalitions with reliable partners.' Story continues below advertisement Carney is hosting the summit in Kananaskis, Alta., from June 15 to 17, welcoming U.S. President Donald Trump on his first visit to Canada during this presidential term. Canada is expecting to welcome leaders of the other liberal democracies that make up the G7: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, Italy and the European Union. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Analysts say the summit has come together under a time crunch, with Ottawa choosing the June date months ago before former prime minister Justin Trudeau resigned and a federal election campaign — which traditionally slows work in the public service. In addition to the G7 members, the host country can invite other leaders in order to give priority nations a voice at the summit. Carney revealed on Friday he had extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite the RCMP accusing New Delhi of widespread acts of murder, extortion and coercion primarily against Sikh activists in Canada, including an assassination near Vancouver two years ago. Story continues below advertisement At least four other international leaders have accepted their invitations to Kananaskis: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said she's considering Canada's invitation. The NDP and major Sikh groups in Canada have condemned Carney's decision to invite Modi, arguing the move puts economic concerns ahead of human rights. Supriya Dwivedi, a former senior advisor to previous prime minister Justin Trudeau, derided the invitation as Carney's government 'thinking some Canadian lives matter more than others,' she wrote on the platform Bluesky. 'It will also be incredibly difficult to take anything this (government) says on transnational repression and foreign interference seriously given this pivot,' she wrote. Others have said it's time for Canada to manage security issues through a structured process with India and not let the criminal allegations and India's concerns about Sikh separatism dominate the bilateral relationship. At a virtual news conference Saturday, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stressed her government 'will not undermine' the RCMP investigation into alleged criminality by Indian agents. 'The fact that leaders from a number of countries have been invited to this meeting does not, and should not, detract from the importance of the independent investigation that is ongoing and the rule of law considerations which are absolutely paramount,' she said. Story continues below advertisement Anand said Carney decides which countries get an invitation, and was circumspect about what criteria Ottawa is using to choose which leaders to invite. 'The meeting will allow global leaders to discuss issues of global concern, which is the general purpose of this meeting, and we are honoured to be able to invite leaders to our country,' she said. 'The prime minister will be hosting these leaders for a discussion (on) very serious issues that affect the global economy and the geostrategic environment.'
Canada Standard
a day ago
- Canada Standard
"Invitation to PM Modi was due": foreign affairs expert Robinder Sachdev on G7 summit
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): The invitation to Prime Minister Narendra attend the G7 summit in Canada was due and 'had to come' with India being a big geopolitical power, Foreign Affairs Expert Robinder Sachdev said on Saturday. 'Invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the G7 Summit was due, it had to come. India is too big a power now, geopolitically, economically, and with our common sense in this world which is in the middle of a conflict. India had to be a participant at the table there,' Sachdev told ANI here. Talking about the 'gossip' about Canada not inviting India to the summit, the foreign affairs expert said that 'in diplomacy we have to play games,' while also saying that sometimes 'it is better to keep the other side waiting. 'There was some gossip going around that maybe Canada is not inviting India. We have to remember that in diplomacy, we have to play games. Even if we got an invitation, we don't need to confirm immediately. It's better to keep the other side waiting sometimes,' he said. His remark was in reference to PM Modi only announcing his G7 visit only after Canadian PM Mark Carney called him, calling it a 'classic case of Indian diplomacy.' 'This was a classic case of Indian diplomacy when the Canadian Prime Minister had to make a call after which PM Modi confirmed the invitation,' he said. Earlier today, former diplomat KP Fabian said that without India's presence, the summit which discusses various issues pertaining to the economy, security, and terrorism could not have been 'effective'. 'The G7 meeting, which is effective on having conversations about what is happening to global economy, security issues, war and peace, as well as terrorism and necessary counter-terrorism measures, cannot be effective without India's presence,' Fabian told ANI. Earlier in the day, PM Carney said that G7 countries will hold discussions on important issues, including security and energy, in their upcoming summit, adding that India's presence at the intergovernmental political and economic forum is essential. The effort seems a bid to thaw the frozen ties between the nations. The invitation to PM Modi comes after a period of severely strained relations between the two countries, triggered by Canadian allegations that Indian agents were involved in the June 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar--a Canadian citizen and prominent pro-Khalistan activist--outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver, as per DW News. India strongly denied the claims, and both nations expelled senior diplomats in a tit-for-tat escalation, DW News reported. (ANI)
