THE World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) on Monday strongly condemned former prime minister Stephen Harper’s recent comments, in which he once again attempted to vilify Sikh Canadians and minimize India’s role in undermining Canadian sovereignty.
Speaking at the Impact Media and Events Corporation’s Canada-India Charity Gala in Brampton on Saturday, Harper stated that political parties should shun Sikhs who support Khalistan if they wish to have stronger relations with India, calling the Khalistan movement “fringe” and lamenting political engagement with such individuals. Harper further claimed that during his tenure, his caucus was instructed to have “no contact whatsoever” with Sikhs who support Khalistan. He made no mention of the ongoing criminal investigations in Canada into murders, shootings and extortions with links to the Government of India, the WSO said.
It noted that this is not the first time Harper has made such alarming statements. In March of this year, Harper told an audience at the NXT Conclave in New Delhi that he didn’t “entirely understand” the deterioration of Canada-India relations and insinuated that Sikhs who support Khalistan were “infiltrating” the Canadian government and “inhibiting good people-to-people relations between India and Canada.”
The WSO said that Harper’s repeated attempts to scapegoat Sikh Canadians while ignoring the grave threat posed by India’s foreign interference mirror disinformation campaigns pushed by the Government of India. They ignore the serious and credible findings made by Canadian security agencies and public inquiries.
It added that Canadian authorities, including the RCMP, have linked the Government of India to the targeted killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, and other criminal activities in Canada, including organized crime, multiple murders, and shootings.
The WSO said that furthermore, the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference, led by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, found that India is second only to China in electoral interference and is the leading threat to Canada in terms of transnational repression targeting Canadian citizens.
It pointed out that Harper’s firm, Harper and Associates, has a direct financial interest in improving Canada-India ties. His company was awarded a contract by the Government of Saskatchewan to expand trade with India, including facilitating meetings with Indian government officials. Harper even accompanied Saskatchewan delegates on a trade mission to India, where he pledged to help deepen trade relationships.
WSO President Danish Singh said: “Stephen Harper’s remarks are not only irresponsible and shocking, they are disloyal to Canadian values and sovereignty. He has effectively argued that India should be given impunity to interfere in Canadian elections and to harass, surveil, and even assassinate Sikh Canadians on Canadian soil, so long as economic ties are preserved. This is a disgraceful and deeply dangerous position for a former prime minister to take.
“Any attempt to rebuild ties with India without demanding accountability and full cooperation in the investigations into India’s criminal operations in Canada would be a betrayal—not only of the Sikh community, but also of the rule of law and Canadian values.
“Harper’s suggestion that Sikhs who support Khalistan should be excluded from political life is both undemocratic and inflammatory. It echoes Indian disinformation and propaganda aimed at vilifying Sikhs in Canada and fuelling anti-Sikh hate. His repeated efforts to exonerate India while targeting Sikhs raise serious concerns about his motivations—particularly given his business interests and consulting ties with India.”
