Canada’s Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez and the RCMP say an investigation is underway into what they call “threats” against Air India, after an online video said people should not fly with the airline on Nov. 19.
Rodriguez said in a social media post that the government takes any threat to aviation “extremely seriously.”
He says Canada and its security partners are investigating the “recent threats circulating online.” His press secretary confirmed Rodriguez was referring to comments about Air India.
RCMP spokesperson Kristine Kelly said police are collaborating with domestic and international partners and “industry stakeholders” in an investigation into “the threat against Air India flights.”
The online remarks about Air India were made by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, whose U.S.-based group Sikhs for Justice organizes unofficial referendums on creating an independent Sikh state — including recent votes in Surrey, B.C.
In the video, Pannun says in a mix of Punjabi and English that he’s asking Sikhs to “not fly Air India” on Nov. 19, and there will be a “global blockade” against the airline that day.
CBC News has seen another video circulating online that appears to show Pannun asking Sikhs to not travel on Air India flights on Nov. 19 as “there could be a danger to life.”
WATCH | MP representing riding in Surrey, B.C., reacts to Pannun’s online comments:
Liberal MP says government will uphold safety on airlines
Featured VideoSurrey Centre MP Randeep Sarai was asked to respond to videos circulating online about a boycott of Air India flights.
CBC News has contacted the Indian High Commission in Ottawa about any potential threat to Air India flights and whether it was working with Canadian officials on the matter, but has yet to receive a response.
‘There is no threat’: Pannun
In an interview with CBC News, Pannun did not address the specific video but said his comments in the past have been misconstrued or edited after the fact.
He says he’s calling for a boycott of Air India and other businesses that support the Indian government.
“Sikhs are facing [an] existential threat under India and the community should not strengthen any Indian businesses, including Air India, as this will endanger their lives and future generations,” he said in the interview.
“There is no threat,” he said in a subsequent statement. “RCMP has every right to investigate a terror threat. And if they consider that calling for [a] boycott of Air India as civil disobedience is a terror, then so be it, let them investigate.”
Other recent posts advocating for a Sikh state that have involved Pannun have been admonished by the federal government and other politicians. The Indian government has designated Pannun as a terrorist and labelled Sikhs for Justice an unlawful association.
Nov. 19 is the final day of the cricket World Cup in Ahmedabad, India, an event Pannun refers to in the video as the “World Terror Cup.”
What is Khalistan? A look at the movement for an independent Sikh state
Featured VideoSome Sikhs have historically been seeking an independent Sikh homeland in northern India called Khalistan. Experts say the history of the movement is complex, emotional and evolving.
Series of referendums
Pannun is one of the main representatives of the Sikh independence movement in North America, and has been among the leaders of a series of non-binding referendums held among diaspora communities asking whether an independent Sikh state should be established within India.
Thousands have turned out in Surrey recently for two rounds of referendum voting at the same gurdwara where Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another leader of the movement, was shot and killed in June.
In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” potentially linking India’s government to Nijjar’s killing. India has strongly denied the claims.
In 2005, a Canadian government report concluded that the 1985 Air India bombings that killed 331 people were carried out as a result of a conspiracy by Sikh separatists that was “planned and executed” in Canada.
Only one man, bomb-maker Inderjit Singh Reyat, was ever convicted.
MONTREAL – Quebec’s ombudsperson is warning that public services are becoming “dehumanized” in the province amid a rise in demand for them.
Marc-André Dowd released his annual report today, which highlights several examples of people receiving inadequate care across the health network in the 12 months leading to March 31.
One dying man who lived alone was denied help cleaning his cat’s litter box by his local health clinic, a service Dowd says should have been given for “humanitarian reasons.”
Dowd also describes staff at a long-term care home feeding residents “mechanically” and talking among each other — despite health ministry guidelines directing staff to maintain eye contact with residents.
The ombudsperson says his office received a record number of problems to investigate across the province’s public services — 24,867 compared with 22,053 last year.
He says his office investigated 13,358 cases between April 2023 and March of this year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Canada next week after a planned trip in July was cancelled amid political turmoil in France.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in a statement today that Macron will be in Canada Wednesday and Thursday after the leaders attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City.
Trudeau will welcome Macron in Ottawa on Wednesday, where they are expected to discuss collaboration on geopolitical issues including their ongoing support for Ukraine.
They are also expected to discuss ways to strengthen the response to emerging threats, such as disinformation.
In Montreal, Trudeau intends to show off the city’s artificial intelligence sector, while both countries reaffirm their commitment to work with counterparts on responsible use of AI.
The leaders will also discuss promoting the French language ahead of the Francophonie summit being held in France next month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Health Canada has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, has been reformulated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Earlier this week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated mRNA COVID vaccine.
It is still reviewing Pfizer’s updated mRNA vaccine, with a decision expected soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously described the Novavax vaccine as an mRNA shot.
