Wednesday, May 13, 2026
ADVT 
National

Sikh rally in Toronto with multi-party support prompts India diplomatic rebuke

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Apr, 2024 04:08 PM
  • Sikh rally in Toronto with multi-party support prompts India diplomatic rebuke

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh at the Khalsa Day rally in Toronto on Sunday.

The rally commemorates the Sikh faith, and some participants chanted and carried banners emblazoned with slogans calling for a state separate from India, known as Khalistan.

India formally summoned Canada's deputy high commissioner Monday, and the country's foreign ministry decried what it called "disturbing actions being allowed to continue unchecked at the event."

India's foreign ministry didn't specify what it took issue with, but noted there were displays of separatism and alleged this illustrates Canada tolerating "extremism and violence."

New Delhi and Ottawa have been at odds over the issue for decades, and the relationship has been significantly strained since Trudeau accused India of playing a role in the slaying of a Canadian Sikh leader last year. 

Canada insists it will not infringe on free speech, including when Sikh people call for the existence of Khalistan. 

But India says these comments violate its constitution.

India has pointed out instances of people in Canada openly glorifying those linked to the 1985 bombing of an Air India plane, whose passengers were largely Canadian citizens. 

Human-rights groups says the country's Hindu nationalist government has increasingly persecuted minorities in recent years.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly's office did not immediately comment on India's rebuke Monday. 

Joly has repeatedly said she wants to navigate the diplomatic rift with India in private. 

MORE National ARTICLES

Kamloops crash kills university student

Kamloops crash kills university student
Mounties in B.C.'s southern Interior say they're investigating a multi-vehicle crash that killed one person who's been identified as a university student. A statement from Kamloops RCMP says emergency responders were called to the crash at the intersection of McGill Road and University Drive just outside the Thompson Rivers University campus around 3 p.m. Thursday. 

Kamloops crash kills university student

Flu season officially in Canada

Flu season officially in Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada says flu season is officially underway in this country.  The rate of tests that were positive for flu stayed above the agency's threshold of five per cent for two consecutive weeks.  

Flu season officially in Canada

B.C. urges people to prepare for atmospheric river bearing down on south coast

B.C. urges people to prepare for atmospheric river bearing down on south coast
A bulletin has been issued warning residents in south western British Columbia to prepare for an atmospheric river bearing down on the area. The statement from the Ministry of Emergency Management says Environment Canada is forecasting a series of storms bringing heavy rain until Thursday, with a peak expected on Tuesday.

B.C. urges people to prepare for atmospheric river bearing down on south coast

Police in Vancouver probe 'mysterious' fentanyl poisoning

Police in Vancouver probe 'mysterious' fentanyl poisoning
Police in Vancouver say they're investigating how a man mysteriously fell ill from fentanyl poisoning following a brief encounter with a stranger last week. They say in a statement that investigators are focused on how the 56-year-old man, who does not use drugs, was exposed to the powerful opioid, and whether the incident involved a criminal offence.  

Police in Vancouver probe 'mysterious' fentanyl poisoning

BC Gov to launch a pilot to support the restaurant industry

BC Gov to launch a pilot to support the restaurant industry
The B-C government says it's launching a pilot project to support the restaurant industry.  The province says it’s putting 380-thousand dollars into a two-year pilot project to help with recruiting and retaining more workers.  

BC Gov to launch a pilot to support the restaurant industry

Shots fired in Burnaby

Shots fired in Burnaby
Mounties in Burnaby say they're investigating reports of shots being fired on a busy street in the city on Thursday. Police say they located a truck riddled with bullet holes when they arrived, but there were no injuries reported following the shooting.

Shots fired in Burnaby