WSO has today sent the below letter to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale on the maligning of the Sikh community in the recently released 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada.

Ottawa (December 11, 2018):  The World Sikh Organization of Canada is deeply disappointed by the addition of “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” to the Public Safety Canada’s 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada that was released today.  The 2018 report on Canada’s terrorist threat environment included the “Sikh extremism” component for the first time this year.  The move appears correlated to repeated unsubstantiated Indian accusations of rising extremism in the Sikh community that reached a crescendo during the visit of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India earlier this year.

While the 2018 Public Safety report does not make any reference to current extremist activities in the Sikh community, it does state, “some individuals in Canada continue to support Sikh (Khalistani) extremist ideologies and movements.”

(French follows below)

Ottawa (December 5, 2018): A motion for reconsideration has been filed with the Supreme Court of Canada with respect to the court’s decision to deny leave for appeal in the Singh, et al. v. Attorney General of Québec.  The appellants, Balpreet Singh and Harminder Kaur argue in their motion that two unusual and interrelated circumstances have given rise to the “exceedingly rare circumstances” which warrant the court’s reconsideration.  Specifically, the Supreme Court’s decision in Chagnon v. Syndicat de la fonction publique et parapublique du Québec and secondly, the election of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ), which has championed discriminatory policies that will disproportionately affect religious minorities.

Ottawa (December 4, 2018):  The release of a special security report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to India earlier this year raises many troubling questions about foreign interference, particularly with respect to the reputation of the Sikh community in Canada and unfounded allegations of Sikh extremism.  The heavily-redacted 40-page report was released on Monday after the Prime Minister’s Office removed portions "deemed injurious to national security and international relations.”

The report examined three issues: allegations of foreign interference related to the Prime Minister’s visit; security issues around Canadian events in India; and a briefing to journalists given by the government’s national security adviser.

Most of the section on foreign interference is redacted, including all six of the Committee’s findings. 

Despite the heavy redaction, it is clear the Committee found that with “strategically released” media articles and repeated allegations of “Sikh extremism” in Canada, there was sufficient evidence to suggest an “orchestrated attempt” to “embarrass the Canadian government.”

Ottawa (November 29, 2018) – The World Sikh Organization of Canada welcomes the World Karate Federation (WKF) accommodation of religiously mandated headwear for male competitors. Prior to the change, only female athletes were permitted to wear head coverings. The rule change, coming into effect on January 1, 2019,  will allow all Sikh competitors across the world  to wear religious head-coverings while competing.

The WKF has announced that it has approved a new version of its rules which allows all athletes to wear plain black head coverings during competition for religious reasons.  The WSO had worked with Karate Canada to advocate for the rule change at the international level.  

Kelowna (November 19, 2018)  The World Sikh Organization of Canada condemns the racist vandalism of the Gurdwara Guru Amardas Darbar Sikh Society in Kelowna, British Columbia.  The racist graffiti was discovered today as a congregation was starting.    

The WSO has been in contact with members of the Guru Amardas Darbar Sikh Society gurdwara, including President Tarsem Singh, and offered support and assistance in dealing with this incident. 

Surrey (November 14, 2018):  The WSO has worked to implement a kirpan accommodation policy with BC Ferries after several Sikh passengers were told they could not wear their kirpans while travelling.

BC Ferries provides transportation for many BC residents who travel between the mainland and coastal and island communities.

Ottawa (November 6, 2018):  The World Sikh Organization of Canada is deeply disappointed by the lack of commemoration of the 1984 Sikh Genocide by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as Ontario Premier Doug Ford.  Neither Prime Minister Trudeau nor Premier Ford issued any commemoration of the 1984 Sikh Genocide that is marked by Sikhs across the world during the first week of November.

Ottawa (October 25, 2018):  The World Sikh Organization of Canada is deeply disappointed by today’s decision of the Supreme Court of Canada to deny leave to appeal in the case Singh, et al. v. Attorney General of Québec. 

In January 2011, the appellants in the case, Harminder Kaur and Balpreet Singh were part of a WSO delegation that had been invited to make a presentation at the Quebec National Assembly on on Bill 94 which would deny essential government services, public employment to individuals who wear facial coverings. The WSO’s team was excluded from the hearing before the Committee on Institutions because they were wearing the kirpan. The Sikh faith requires initiated men and women to wear the five Sikh articles of faith, including the kirpan, at all times.