Sikh groups are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to revoke his invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit in Alberta next week.
Representatives of such groups as the World Sikh Organization of Canada and Sikh Federation Canada told a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday they want a public inquiry into India's foreign interference and transnational oppression.
They said Modi’s invitation should be withdrawn unless India co-operates with ongoing investigations and promises to stop interfering in Canadian affairs and targeting Sikhs in Canada.
"This is a Canadian issue but it doesn't feel as though this is being treated like a Canadian issue," said Balpreet Singh, spokesman for the World Sikh Organization of Canada.
"It's being treated as though it's just those brown people. It's just the Sikhs, and if a foreign government's killing them or threatening them or surveilling them, it's OK. We'll invite the prime minister and we'll have a weekend in the mountains and we'll chat."
The groups are also asking the Liberal government to immediately stop any intelligence-sharing with India.
Both Balpreet Singh and Moninder Singh, spokesman for the Sikh Federation of Canada, referred to a Global News report that says an Indian agent had former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh under "close surveillance."
Global News reported that Jagmeet Singh was surveilled by a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a criminal organization the RCMP have accused of orchestrating violence in Canada on behalf of the Indian government.
In April, Jagmeet Singh revealed that he received a "duty to warn" from the RCMP in December 2023 because of a credible threat to his life.
"If Jagmeet Singh, who is the highest-profile Sikh in Canada, isn't safe, then what does that mean for the rest of us? And this isn't a one-off," Balpreet Singh said.
Moninder Singh said that he has received "multiple" warnings from the RCMP over the past several years.
"The conversation is swift. You're told that there is a duty to warn against you of imminent assassination. It's the terms that have been used with me every time I've received one," he said.
"Our kids are seeing this stuff on social media. They see that Sikhs and Sikh leadership is being targeted. And they have these questions in their minds now as to what the value of life is in Canada for them."
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP have linked agents of the Indian government to the 2023 murder of a Canadian Sikh separatist activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, B.C.
The head of a public inquiry into foreign political interference last year reported that China and India are among the primary actors behind foreign interference operations targeting Canada.
The G7 runs from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alta. The two-year anniversary of Nijjar's murder is on June 18.
Prime Minister Mark Carney met with Sikh members of the Liberal caucus Wednesday to talk about Modi's invitation.
Before and after the meeting, B.C. Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal called the invitation a "bad idea." Dhaliwal said that he'd heard from hundreds of people opposed to Modi coming to the G7.
Following that meeting, Dhaliwal said that Carney is "alarmed" about the issues raised and will be "very strong" in dealing with them.
"We're hearing that they trust the prime minister and they understand that progress has to be made on this file. But frankly, it's all wishy-washy," Balpreet Singh said.
"It's all up in the air, and we've heard this before. So without the concrete steps that we've described, there's really nothing to assure us that this is being taken seriously."
Moninder Singh said protests are being planned for Banff, Calgary and Ottawa in opposition to Modi's visit.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
