Brampton mayor 'cautiously optimistic' about Bishnoi gang terrorist designation

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said Friday he's "cautiously optimistic" about the chances of naming India's Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist group after meeting with Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree.

Brown said he and representatives of Peel police met with the federal minister Wednesday after he asked police whether adding the Bishnoi gang to Ottawa's list of terrorist organizations would help with enforcement.

British Columbia Premier David Eby sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this week asking him to designate the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization — something the government did with seven other transnational criminal organizations earlier this year.

Brown said Peel police told him a terrorist designation "would be helpful" and that the gang is involved in "serious criminal activity."

"We're talking about extortions and murders in our region. I think (Anandasangaree) took it seriously. I'm cautiously optimistic that he's going to make this designation," Brown said.

Asked about Eby's request Wednesday, Anandasangaree said national security officials "continuously" review whether criminal organizations meet the legal threshold to be named as terrorist groups.

David Taylor, Anandasangaree's spokesman, said the minister has "noted the concerns" of Brown and Eby.

"The Minister will seriously consider any recommendation (security and intelligence services) provide him concerning listing a particular group,” Taylor said in an emailed reply.
RCMP have alleged that Indian diplomats shared information about Sikh separatists in Canada with the Indian government and that top Indian officials then passed the information to the Bishnoi gang.

Brown said the gang has become more brazen in Brampton and local police have spotted vehicles with Bishnoi-affiliated decals in the Ontario city.

"They have over 700 shooters worldwide. They meet every threshold that is required to be designated as a terrorist organization," Brown said. "And if we can give police this tool to allow them to better combat this threat in Canada, I think that, you know, is a no-brainer."

The Criminal Code defines terrorist activity as a violent act that is, in whole or in part, committed for political, ideological or religious purposes and is meant to intimidate a segment of the public.

Lawrence Bishnoi has been in an Indian prison since 2015 and has more than two dozen criminal cases pending against him. He has been accused of orchestrating violent acts of extortion while incarcerated, using a cellphone.

The National Investigation Agency, India's counterterrorism agency, said in 2023 that Bishnoi ran his "terror group from jails in different states" in India and through an associate in Canada.

Once a group is listed as a terrorist entity in Canada, any property owned by the group can be frozen by the government and law enforcement can deploy additional tools to probe crimes associated with financing, travel and recruitment.

"If there was someone who came by with a decal on their car or on their jacket that was of Lawrence Bishnoi, and we have seen that, it would give the police tools to embark on an immediate investigation," Brown said.

"So sometimes the judicial process, because you're seeking warrants or authorization, doesn't move as fast as required to deal with the agility of these criminal networks."

Canada currently lists 86 groups as terrorist entities. 

The most recent additions came in February when seven Mexican, Central and South American-based drug cartels were listed as terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel.
This designation came in the early days of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war on Canada and Mexico, which he justified in part by claiming neither country was doing enough to address illegal border crossings and fentanyl trafficking.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor