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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Stephen Harper, former Canadian PM, urges parties to cut ties with Khalistani separatist groups targeting India
Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called on political parties in Canada to cut all ties with separatist groups aiming to disrupt India's unity. Harper made these remarks at the 5th Canada India Charity Gala in Brampton over the weekend, an event hosted by Impact Media and Events Coordination (IMEC), where he was honoured with the Global Impact Award. Harper calls for end to political support to separatist elements Speaking at the gala, Harper said, 'Canada cannot have that strong relationship unless the governing party, and frankly, any political party that aspires to government, unless they sever relations with those who seek to bring the battles of India's past to Canada.' He added that political parties should also 'sever relations with those who seek to divide the great country that is modern India.' Harper specifically criticised the Khalistani movement, calling it a fringe group. 'The Khalistani movement is a fringe movement in Canada. It is a fringe movement among Indo-Canadians and it is even a fringe movement among Sikh Canadians,' he said. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Live Comfortably: 60m2 prefabricated bungalow for the elderly in Thon Ban Duong Pre Fabricated Homes | Search Ads Search Now Undo Harper reflects on his government's approach Harper said his party had a clear stance against such separatist movements during his time in office. 'My caucus understood they were to have no contact whatsoever with the Khalistani movement,' he said, expressing hope that 'all political parties will return to that kind of a policy.' He added, 'There is no reason why countries like Canada and India cannot be those enlightened voices working together, which we can do and should do by putting our recent disputes behind us.' Live Events Strained ties between Canada and India Tensions between Canada and India worsened on September 18, 2023, after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Parliament that there were 'credible allegations' of Indian agents being linked to the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. India dismissed the charges as 'absurd' and 'motivated'. Harper's continued criticism of extremist groups Harper has previously criticised Canadian politicians for engaging with pro-Khalistan elements. In November last year, he stated that Canada should stop supporting divisive groups. In 2019, at an event by the Canada India Foundation in Brampton, Harper said his government had 'denounced and refused all relationships with those Khalistanis and others who seek to bring the battles of the past to Canada and seek to divide the great country of India'. At another event in Toronto organised by the Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGPI), Harper said, 'We must stop cultivating Jihadists, antisemites, Khalistanis, Tamil Tigers, and other divisive groups. When it comes to our immigration system, we are going to have to ask ourselves some hard questions about how we screen people.' He added, 'We cannot start importing age-old hatreds onto our streets. We need to do something about this — we cannot let it continue.' Harper's record on India-related security issues Stephen Harper served as Canada's Prime Minister from 2006 to 2015. During his tenure, his government set up a Commission of Inquiry into the bombing of Air India flight 182 , also known as the Kanishka bombing, by Khalistani terrorists on June 23, 1985. The attack killed 329 people. At the time, Harper said, 'The destruction of Air India Flight 182 remains the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history. It was a cowardly, despicable and senseless act.' On the 25th anniversary of the bombing, Harper issued an official apology on behalf of the government for the lapses that led to the attack. Harper's government also formulated Canada's 'one, united India' policy, which continues to be the country's official position on India.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ex-Canada PM calls on political parties to ‘sever relations' with separatist forces targeting India
Toronto: Former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper has called on the country's political parties to 'sever relations' with separatist forces targeting India. Harper made these remarks while speaking at 5th Canada India Charity Gala organised by the organisation Impact Media and Events Coordination (IMEC) in Brampton over the weekend, where the former PM was honoured with the Global Impact Award. 'Canada cannot have that strong relationship unless the governing party, and frankly, any political party that aspires to government, unless they sever relations with those who seek to bring the battles of India's past to Canada,' he told the audience at the event, according to local media reports. He also called upon political parties to 'sever relations with those who seek to divide the great country that is modern India'. 'The Khalistani movement is a fringe movement in Canada. It is a fringe movement among Indo-Canadians and it is even a fringe movement among Sikh Canadians,' he said. He said he didn't know why various politicians spent so much time on that and added that during his tenure his caucus 'understood' they were to have 'no contact whatsoever with the Khalistani movement'. He said he hoped 'all political parties will return to that kind of a policy'. 'There is no reason why countries like Canada and India cannot be those enlightened voices working together, which we can do and should do by putting our recent disputes behind us,' he said. Relations between Canada and India cratered on September 18, 2023, when then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there were 'credible allegations' of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, three months earlier. India described those accusations as 'absurd' and 'motivated'. This is not the first time that Harper has spoken out against Canadian politicians indulging pro-Khalistan elements in Canada. In November last year, he said the country should stop cultivating such divisive groups. This isn't the first time Harper has condemned the pro-Khalistan movement in Canada. In July 2019, while speaking at an event organised by the Canada India Foundation in Brampton, he said that during his tenure as PM his government had 'denounced and refused all relationships with those Khalistanis and others who seek to bring the battles of the past to Canada and seek to divide the great country of India'. Speaking at an event organised by the Abraham Global Peace Initiative (AGP)I in Toronto, he said, 'We must stop cultivating Jihadists, antisemites, Khalistanis, Tamil Tigers, and other divisive groups. When it comes to our immigration system, we are going to have to ask ourselves some hard questions about how we screen people.' 'We cannot start importing age-old hatreds onto our streets,' the former PM stated, adding, 'We need to do something about this — we cannot let it continue.' Harper was Prime Minister from 2006 to 2015, before the Conservative Party he led was defeated by his successor and Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau. As PM, Harper had established a Commission of Inquiry into the bombing of Air India flight 182, the Kanishka, by Khalistani terrorists on June 23, 1985, which claimed 329 lives. That Commission, headed by retired Justice John Major, submitted its report on July 16, 2010 Harper said then, 'The destruction of Air India Flight 182 remains the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history. It was a cowardly, despicable and senseless act.' On the 25th anniversary of the tragedy, Harper issued an apology on behalf of the government for the failures that led to the terror attack. The Harper government devised the 'one, united India' policy which remains Canada's official position.
