Karnataka-born Canadian Hindu MP questions citing of freedom of speech to defend hate crimes

A Canadian Hindu lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Party has subtly questioned the invocation of freedom of speech by the country’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to condone hate crimes by the Khalistani Sikh extremists in the North American country.

“I can’t understand how (the) glorification of terrorism or a hate crime targeting a religious group is allowed in the name of freedom of speech and expression,” Chandra Arya, a member of the House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament, said after an extremist organization, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), circulated a video with its leader threatening the Hindus living in Canada to leave the country and return to India.

Arya was born and raised in Karnataka before he migrated from India to Canada in 2006. He was elected to represent the riding of Nepean in the House of Commons of Canada in 2015 and was re-elected in 2019.

“There would be outrage in Canada if a white supremacist attacked any group of racialized Canadians asking them to get out of our country. But, apparently, this Khalistani leader can get away with this hate crime,” he said, referring to SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu’s threat to the Hindu Canadians.

“Hindu Canadians keep a low profile and are considered soft targets,” he said, adding: “The anti-Hindu elements cannot digest the success of Hindu Canadians”.

He avoided making a comment on Trudeau’s claim that his government’s security agencies were actively pursuing the ‘credible allegations’ about ‘a potential link’ between India’s agents and the killing of Khalistan Tiger Force commander Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the British Columbia province of Canada on June 18. New Delhi dismissed the Canadian Prime Minister’s allegations against India as ‘absurd’, ‘motivated’ and ‘unsubstantiated’.

Trudeau’s government in Ottawa has been citing freedom of speech as an excuse for its reluctance to act against the Khalistani Sikh extremists, who were running a campaign against India from Canada.

“Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and it is extremely important to us,” Trudeau had told journalists after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sideline of the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 10.

Modi had conveyed to Trudeau New Delhi’s “strong concerns” over continuing activities of anti-India Khalistani extremists in Canada, including the promotion of secessionism, incitement to violence against India’s diplomats in Canada, hate speeches against the Indian Canadian community and vandalism against their places of worship.

Arya’s comment apparently raised a question on the policy of Trudeau, who had been leading the ruling Liberal Party since 2013 and holding the office of the prime minister in Ottawa since 2015.

The Canadian Hindu MP posted a video message on X after the SFJ circulated the video of its leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun accusing the Indo-Canadian Hindus of not being loyal to the Constitution of Canada and asking them to relocate to India.

“I have heard from many Hindu-Canadians who are fearful after this targeted attack. I urge Hindu-Canadians to stay calm but vigilant,” said Arya. He asked the Hindu Canadians to report any incident of Hinduphobia to local law enforcement agencies.

“The Khalistan movement leader is trying to provoke the Hindu-Canadians to react,” he said, alleging Pannun was trying to divide the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada.

He said that the vast majority of Canadian Sikhs did not support the campaign for carving out a Khalistan from India. “Most Sikh Canadians may not publicly condemn the Khalistan movement for several reasons but they are deeply connected to the Hindu-Canadian community. Canadian Hindus and Sikhs are connected through family relationships and shared social and cultural ties,” said Arya.