Toronto: The leader of Canada’s principal opposition party has condemned as “absolutely unacceptable” calls from pro-Khalistan elements for Hindus to leave the country and accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of dividing communities.
On August 18, a pro-Khalistan group gathered at the venue for the annual India Day Parade, a celebration of Independence Day and were heard shouting, “Canadian Hindus go back to India,” among other slogans.
That demonstration was part of the so-called Khalistan Rally organized by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, and flyers circulated in the days preceding it called for a “Face-off” between “Khalistan Sikhs” and “Canadian Hindus”.
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At an interaction with ethnic media in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA on Friday, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said, “Hindus have the right to worship, to raise their families, to live in peace, without intimidation or threat.”
He also attacked Trudeau, as he said, “Anti-Hindu and Hinduphobia agendas have no place (in Canada). I detest how the Prime Minister has divided our people. We were getting along in this country. Now look, everybody is fighting.”
“We need to bring people together around our common Canadian values of faith, family and freedom, of hard work and patriotism,” he added.
In a statement, the Coalition of Hindus of North America or CoHNA’s Canadian unit’s president Rishabh Sarswat thanked Poilievre “for recognising Hinduphobia in Canada.”
“This acknowledgment of the challenges faced by Hindu Canadians, including the amplification of hate and attacks on our community, is a crucial step toward addressing these issues effectively,” he added.
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The Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the acknowledgement of Hinduphobia by Poilievre. The Chamber’s president Kushagr Dutt Sharma said, “Canadian Hindus are an integral part of Canada, and like all citizens, we have every right to live our lives freely and practice our beliefs without duress.
This call for Hindus to leave is not only baseless and harmful but also a dangerous form of exclusion.”
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“The rise in Hinduphobia in Canada is concerning, and we urge the Canadian Government to address this issue with the seriousness it deserves before it escalates further,” he added.
PM Trudeau has yet to address the diatribe the Hindu community had to face from separatist elements.