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How Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder in Canada fuelled tensions with India

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Sikhs protest for the independence of Khalistan in front of the Indian Consulate in Toronto, Canada, on July 8, 2023.Getty Images
By Nadine Yousif
BBC News, Toronto

A prominent Sikh leader was brazenly murdered last month outside a temple in British Columbia (BC), Canada. The death has outraged his supporters and intensified global tensions between Sikh separatists and the Indian government.

On a mid-June summer evening in the busy parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in the city of Surrey, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in his truck by two masked gunmen.

A month later, the unsolved killing continues to reverberate, in Canada and across borders. Hundreds of Sikh separatists took to the streets in Toronto, along with a handful others in cities like London, Melbourne and San Francisco, just last weekend to protest the Indian government, which they believe is responsible for his death.

The Indian government has not commented on such allegations.

The outrage following the 45-year-old’s killing has brought to light a long-standing issue of some groups demanding a separate homeland for Sikhs, who are a religious minority that make up about 2% of India’s population.

The movement was at its peak in the 1980s in the state of Punjab, which witnessed several violent attacks and deaths. It lost steam after armed forces ran special operations against the movement – but supporters in the diaspora community continued their calls for a separate state, which have intensified in recent years.

India has strongly opposed the Khalistan movement. All mainstream political parties, including in Punjab, have denounced violence and separatism.

Mr Nijjar was a prominent Sikh leader in BC and a vocal backer of a separate Khalistani state. Supporters of his have said that he was a target of threats in the past because of his activism.

India said he was a terrorist and led a militant separatist group – accusations his supporters call “unfounded”.

Canadian investigators said they have yet to establish a motive for his murder or identify any suspects, but they have categorised the killing as a “targeted incident”.

Canada is home to the largest Sikh diaspora outside the state of Punjab. On 8 July, hundreds protested Mr Nijjar’s death in Toronto outside India’s High Consulate building. They were met with a smaller counter protest in support of the Indian government.

The two sides shouted at each other through barricades for several hours, and one pro-Khalistan demonstrator was arrested after attempting to breach the fence.

Even before the weekend, concerns had been raised about the protest.

Some posters for the Toronto event featured the words “Kill India” and labelled Indian diplomats in Canada as “killers”, leading the outraged Indian government to summon the Canadian envoy.

 

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Balpreet Singh, the spokesperson for the World Sikh Organisation of Canada, said he believes the Khalistan movement has been somewhat dormant and largely peaceful in recent decades, though it has seen a revival, particularly among youth who did not live through the violence of the 1980s.

But even with this revival, there is a sense that people in Punjab have largely “moved on” from the idea of a separate state for Sikhs, said Gurpreet Singh, a BC-based journalist and radio host who has interviewed Mr Nijjar in the past.

“What we are seeing in Canada is a vocal minority of the Sikh community that is supporting Khalistan,” he said.

Mr Nijjar is the third prominent Sikh figure to have died suddenly in recent months.

In the UK, Avtar Singh Khanda, who was said to be the head of the Khalistan Liberation Force, died in Birmingham in June under what has been described as “mysterious circumstances” that some believe could be related to poisoning.

Paramjit Singh Panjwar, who was designated a terrorist by India, was shot dead in May in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

Mr Singh, with the World Sikh Organisation, said Mr Nijjar had been the target of threats, and that he had warned members of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service as early as last summer that there was likely an assassination plot against the Sikh leader.

He said Mr Nijjar had been planning a non-binding referendum scheduled for September in Surrey on the question of an independent Sikh state, part of a global series of votes aimed at measuring consensus on the formation of Khalistan.

A similar referendum had taken place last year the city of Brampton, Ontario last year, which is home to around 160,000 Sikhs.

Results of the vote have not yet been released, but he said the turnout – an estimated 100,000 people – was met with anger from the Indian government.

“This was devastating to the Indian narrative that (Khalistan) is a fringe or extremist movement,” he said.

Following the referendum, India’s Ministry of External Affairs warned of a “sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities in Canada”, though it did not reference any specific incidents or make mention of the referendum.

There are differing narratives on the Khalistan movement in India, as well as the deaths of proponents like Mr Nijjar.

Some Indian commentators have pointed to internal rivalries between Sikh organisations in Canada as the reason behind Mr Nijjar’s death.

They have also accused Khalistan supporters in Canada of vandalising Hindu temples with “anti-India” graffiti and of attacking the offices of the Indian High Commission in Ottawa during a protest in March.

But Sikhs and some national security experts in Canada have accused the Indian government of spreading misinformation through its media to malign the Sikh community and supporters of a separate Khalistani state. India has denied this.

Canada’s national security adviser to the prime minister has previously accused India of being one of the top sources of foreign interference in Canada.

India, for its part, has argued that the rise of the Sikh separatist movement in Canada has interfered in India’s domestic affairs.

Despite this, both countries have long-standing diplomatic and trade ties and are in the advanced stage of talks to sign a landmark free-trade agreement. It is not clear whether the recent diplomatic tensions will have an impact on the deal.

Balpreet Singh said he believes Canada needs to take a stronger stance against foreign interference by India, arguing that it has mainly targeted the Sikh community.

But he added that Canada has also provided a place where many Sikhs who are supporters of the Khalistani movement can speak openly, and that the community remains defiant in the face of Mr Nijjar’s death.

“There is no one telling us we can’t talk about Khalistan here,” he said. “If you try to tell us we can’t talk about our sovereignty, we will do the very opposite.”

 

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k.d. lang rocks with the Reclines at Canadian Country Music Association awards

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September 14, 2024

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EDMONTON – The legendary k.d. lang got the band back together at the Canadian Country Music Association awards show.

Lang teamed up with the Reclines for the first time in 35 years to belt out “Big Boned Gal” from their last album together in 1989.

Clad in a blue and green western-style dress, lang strut across the stage in Edmonton to embody the “big boned gal from southern Alberta.”

The awards show saw Alberta’s MacKenzie Porter and Ontario’s Josh Ross take home hardware for being best female and male artists of the year.

Ross also won entertainer of the year and single of the year for “Trouble.”

Ontario artist Jade Eagleson won album of the year for “Do It Anyway.”

The James Barker Band from Woodville, Ont., won fans’ choice and group of the year.

During their acceptance speech, frontman Barker hinted at new music and a possible tour in 2025.

Ross says he and his band play roughly 150 shows every year and are never home, but says taking home entertainer of the year made the hard work worth it.

Porter won for female artist of the year and top video for “Chasing Tornadoes.”

The female artist win ends the five-year streak of Tenille Townes being awarded the coveted hardware.

Porter had been nominated seven times previously for the award in the past decade but hadn’t won until now.

The artist from Medicine Hat, Alta., says it takes a lot of hard work and hustle to succeed as a female in the country music industry and gave a shout out to her fellow singers and her newborn daughter.

Joining the two artists in the winners’ circle was Ontario singer-songwriter Owen Riegling, who won for breakthrough artist of the year.

The show began with American artist and co-host Thomas Rhett being dubbed an honorary Canadian by Edmonton Oilers players Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl.

Rhett donned an Oilers jersey that was gifted to him by the pair.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Jade Eagleson wins album of the year at Canadian Country Music Association awards

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September 14, 2024

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EDMONTON – Ontario country artist Jade Eagleson has won album of the year at the 2024 Canadian Country Music Association Awards in Edmonton.

The singer from Bailieboro, Ont., was up for six awards alongside Alberta’s MacKenzie Porter.

Eagleson took home album of the year for “Do It Anyway” and says he’s thankful to his wife and management team for helping him reach the level he’s at.

The James Barker Band from Woodville, Ont., also won fans’ choice and group of the year at the award show, held in Edmonton.

During their acceptance speech, frontman Barker hinted at new music and a possible tour in 2025.

Another Ontario crooner, Josh Ross, has taken home a trio of awards, receiving entertainer of the year, male artist of the year and single of the year.

He says he and his band play roughly 150 shows every year and are never home, but says taking home entertainer of the year makes the hard work worth it.

Porter took home female artist of the year, ending the five-year streak of Tenille Townes being awarded the coveted hardware.

Porter had been nominated seven times previously for the award in the past decade but hadn’t won until tonight.

The artist from Medicine Hat, Alta., says it takes a lot of hard work and hustle to succeed as a female in the country music industry and gave a shout out to her fellow singers and her newborn daughter.

Joining the two artists in the winners’ circle was Ontario singer-songwriter Owen Riegling, who won for breakthrough artist of the year.

The show began with American artist and co-host Thomas Rhett being dubbed an honorary Canadian by Edmonton Oilers players Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl.

Rhett donned an Oilers jersey that was gifted to him by the pair.

The return of k.d. lang and the Reclines was expected to be a highlight of the show.

The appearance will mark the first time the Alberta songstress has teamed up with the band in 35 years and is tied to lang’s induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

The awards show is back in Alberta’s capital for the first time since 2014. It was held in Hamilton last year and in Calgary in 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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B.C. Conservatives promise to end stumpage fees, review fire management if elected

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September 14, 2024

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VANDERHOOF, B.C. – British Columbia Conservatives are promising changes they say will bring more stability to the province’s struggling forest industry.

Leader John Rustad announced his plan for the sector a week before the official launch of the provincial election campaign, saying a Conservative government would do away with stumpage fees paid when timber is harvested and instead put a tax on the final products that are produced.

Rustad said Saturday that under a provincial Conservative government, a small fee may be charged upfront, but the bulk would come at the end of the process, depending on what type of product is created.

He also promised to review how wildfires are managed, as well as streamline the permit process and review what he calls the province’s “uncompetitive cost structure.”

“British Columbia is by far the highest cost producers of any jurisdiction in North America. We need to be able to drive down those costs, so that our forest sector can actually be able to do the reinvestment, to be able to create the jobs and make sure that they’re still there to be able to support our communities,” he said.

The governing New Democrats meanwhile, say eliminating stumpage fees would inflame the softwood lumber dispute with the United States and hurt forestry workers.

In a statement issued by the NDP, Andrew Mercier, the party’s candidate in Langley-Willowbrook, said Rustad failed to support the industry when he was in government under the former BC Liberals.

“Not only will Rustad’s old thinking and recycled ideas fail to deliver, his proposal to eliminate stumpage would inflame the softwood lumber dispute — punishing forestry workers and communities,” Mercier said, accusing Rustad of ignoring the complexity of the challenges facing the industry.

The softwood lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada stretches back decades. In August, the U.S. Department of Commerce nearly doubled duties on softwood lumber.

International Trade Minister Mary Ng has said Canada has taken steps to launch two legal challenges under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

Rustad said a provincial Conservative government would push hard to get a deal with the United States over the ongoing dispute “whether it’s with the rest of Canada or by itself.”

He said his party’s proposed changes are in the name of bringing “stability” and “hope” to the industry that has seen multiple closures of mills in rural communities over the last several years.

Most recently, Canfor Corp. decided to shutter two northern British Columbia sawmills earlier this month, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed by the end of the year.

According to the United Steelworkers union, Canfor has closed 10 mills in the province since November 2011, including nine in northern B.C.

Jeff Bromley, chair of the United Steelworkers wood council, said Saturday the idea of changes in favour of taxing the final product has been floated in the past.

He said the finer details of the Conservative plan will be important, but that the system needs to be improved and “new ideas are certainly something I’d be willing to entertain.”

“Something needs to happen, or the industry is just going to bleed and wither away and be a shadow of its former self,” Bromley said.

“Politics aside, if (Rustad) can come up with a policy that enables my members to work, then I would be supportive of that. But then I’m supportive of any government that would come up with policies and fibre for our mills to run. Period.”

When Canfor announced its latest closures, Forests Minister Bruce Ralston said the sector was a “foundational part” of the province and the current NDP government would work to support both local jobs and wood manufacturing operations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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