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Canada Must Now Listen To What Diasporic Indians Have Been Warning Of

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Montreal, QC, Toronto, ON. September 19, 2023. Dominating news cycles in Canada is that Prime Minister Trudeau has accused the government of India of involvement in killing of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver last June and Canada has expelled India’s intelligence chief in Ottawa in retaliation.

Prime Minister Trudeau said “The involvement of any foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”

A former adviser to the Prime Minister has said India has joined “the group of nations that assassinate political opponents” abroad, akin to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018.

Meanwhile over the past year, diasporic South Asian and other civil society organizations that have been sounding alarm bells and calling on the Trudeau government and the opposition to pay heed to the dangerous build-up of support for the Hindu ethnonationalism of the current government of India on Canadian soil.  But these alerts have gone unheeded.

Last November, Chandra Arya, a member of the Liberal caucus hoisted a flag on Parliament Hill, a politically charged symbol that is associated with a far-right Hindu paramilitary organization the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) closely connected with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu nationalist political party of Indian Prime Minister Modi. Seventeen civil society organizations wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau and the leaders of the opposition expressing deep concern about this. The letters went unanswered.

In August, there was a demonstration in Ottawa, in solidarity against Hindutva fascism in India and Canada.  The demonstrators went to the Prime Minister’s office and symbolically delivered a letter signed by 80 civil society organizations, including many from the Indian diaspora in Canada. The letter called for Canada to issue a categorical public condemnation of the systematic discrimination, genocide incitement, harassment, and violence faced by religious minorities and other oppressed groups in India, including Muslims, Christians, Dalits, Adivasi Indigenous peoples, and Sikhs, as well as Kashmiris.The protest demonstrated that the concerns for rights and equality extend beyond borders, serving as a reminder that collective action remains essential in safeguarding these values. Also that Canadian trade and investment agreements with India are contingent upon respecting human rights and protecting vulnerable communities. And that Indian politicians who have publicly called for ethnic cleansing and incited genocidal violence against India’s minority population be barred from entering Canada under Section 35 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The letter also called for identifying and investigating organizations, particularly those operating as charitable organizations in Canada that are fronts for Hindu right-wing organizations. Any organizations found to be promoting hate speech, discrimination, or violence should be immediately banned and their charitable status revoked. As well,  conducting a thorough investigation into the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India and its agencies interfering in Canadian politics and institutions, as reported by Canada’s national security adviser. This includes monitoring their influence in Canadian institutions and online platforms, and taking appropriate legal measures to counter their divisive and discriminatory agenda. This letter also went unanswered.

The influence of Hindu nationalism also suppresses political, artistic, and academic expression. Last year, Toronto-based filmmaker Leena Manimekalaii received thousands of threatening messages, death and rape threats, and was called Hinduphobic for screening her film “Kaali.” The same MP Chandra Arya also weighed in citing hurt Hindu sentiment. The Indian High Commission in Canada got involved, issuing a press releasereprimanding those who screened Ms. Manimekalai’s film. All this  exposes the Hindu supremacist nature of the current government of India. They have been harassing academics and artists.

 

Individuals supporting the Indian government’s Hindu nationalism  have created a petition to the House of Commons calling for Canada to recognize something called ‘Hinduphobia’.  They seek to push an agenda to persecute, hound, delegitimise and silence those who call out the Indian government for its well-documented human rights violations and violence against minorities. Canadian parliamentarians must not legitimize the politics of hate that is masquerading as victimhood.  They must finally acknowledge what is under their noses. 

Canada must stand with the oppressed peoples of India including Muslims, Dalits, Christians, Sikhs, Kashmiris, and others. We urge the Canadian government to take concrete actions: a) publicly condemning the state-backed violence and persecution of those resisting Hindu supremacy and holding the Indian state accountable; b) stand up for the rights of religious minorities and oppressed communities in India; c) banning organizations in Canada that are affiliated to and funding the RSS, and their promotion of hate;  d) ensuring Canadian trade agreements with India are contingent upon respecting human rights and protecting vulnerable communities; e) taking concrete steps in Canada and globally to stop transnational state surveillance and vigilantism.

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Contact:

Dolores: +1 (514) 885-5976

sadac_info@riseup.net

 

Source: 

CERAS (Centre sur l’asie du sud)

Justice for All Canada

SADAN – South Asian Dalit Adivasi Network- Canada

South Asian Diaspora Action Collective (SADAC)

Relevant documents:

Joint letter signed by 80+ organizations can be accessed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mltW212d52WRFz38FhpgseREDTsshoiU/edit

RSS Network in Canada, NCCM and WSO, 2023: https://www.nccm.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/RSS-Report-2023.pdf

A copy of this release with complete references (links) can be also found at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SntYfJADwW3r3V-pMhhqCVbQCkkeNJAV64h0i4isIIY/edit?usp=sharing

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Canada’s Denis Shapovalov wins Belgrade Open for his second ATP Tour title

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BELGRADE, Serbia – Canada’s Denis Shapovalov is back in the winner’s circle.

The 25-year-old Shapovalov beat Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4 in the Belgrade Open final on Saturday.

It’s Shapovalov’s second ATP Tour title after winning the Stockholm Open in 2019. He is the first Canadian to win an ATP Tour-level title this season.

His last appearance in a tournament final was in Vienna in 2022.

Shapovalov missed the second half of last season due to injury and spent most of this year regaining his best level of play.

He came through qualifying in Belgrade and dropped just one set on his way to winning the trophy.

Shapovalov’s best results this season were at ATP 500 events in Washington and Basel, where he reached the quarterfinals.

Medjedovic was playing in his first-ever ATP Tour final.

The 21-year-old, who won the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF title last year, ends 2024 holding a 9-8 tour-level record on the season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Talks to resume in B.C. port dispute in bid to end multi-day lockout

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VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.

The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.

The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.

The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.

The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.

MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.

In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.

“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.

“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”

In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.

“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.

The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.

“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”

The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.

The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.

A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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The Royal Canadian Legion turns to Amazon for annual poppy campaign boost

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The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.

Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.

Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.

Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.

“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.

“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”

Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.

“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.

Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.

“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”

But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.

Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.

“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.

Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.

The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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