Canadian clowns vying to outdo each other: Pierre Poilievre’s refusal to name Khalistanis after attack against Hindus makes him just as bad as Khalistani Jagmeet Singh

Pierre Poilievre's carefully worded which had no mention of the temple assailants, veritably the Khalistani thugs, underscores the bipartisan pandering of antisocial groups and terror elements that have deeply embedded themselves in Canadian society and grown to wield outsize influence on its domestic politics.

In yet another attack on Hindus in Canada, the Khalistani terrorists assaulted Hindu-Canadian devotees at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton on Sunday (3^rd November). The attack came after Hindu devotees protested against the attackers carrying Khalistani flags and raising anti-India slogans outside the temple to mark the anniversary of the anti-Sikh riots in Punjab, following the assassination of then-Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. The outrageous incident sparked widespread condemnation from Canadian politicians, including the opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. While the political leaders across the ruling Liberal Party and the main opposition Conservative Party condemned the attack on Hindus, not a single one of them even mentioned who the attackers were.

While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau not daring to call out Khalistani terrorists for attacking Hindus is understandable since the anti-India elements form a votebank for his party and he goes to any lengths including destroying ties with India to appease this votebank, however, Pierre Poilievre skipping mentioning Khalistanis while condemning the attack on Hindus is alarming.

Taking to X on Monday, Pierre Poilievre said, “Completely unacceptable to see violence targeting worshippers at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today. All Canadians should be free to practice their faith in peace. Conservatives condemn this violence unequivocally. I will unite our people and end the chaos.”

It is ironic that Poilievre talks about ‘uniting’ people and ‘ending the chaos’ but fails even to mention who is behind this ‘chaos’. How will the Conservative leader end the ‘chaos’ when he does not even explicitly condemn the Khalistanis ravaging Canada.

Poilievre is not the only one to condemn the ‘act of violence’ against Hindus but not the Khalistani attackers. It is pertinent to note that Canada is just months away from federal elections and the leaders across the political parties do not want to upset any community, even if that means pandering to the anti-India Khalistani terrorists or downplaying their violent acts against Hindus. Several Conservative and Liberal Party leaders indulged in the balancing act in the garb of condemning the anti-Hindu violence.

In this vein, Conservative MP Shuv Majumdar said: “Canada is a nation where every person must be free to worship in peace. Violence targeting Hindus and their Mandirs is never acceptable and should be condemned. There is no place for hate or violence in our country. We will end the chaos and restore the promise of Canada.”

Another Conservative MP Arpan Khanna also followed Pierre Poilievre in condemning the anti-Hindu violence but not condemning the perpetrators. “I strongly condemn the attack on worshippers at the Hindu Sabha Mandir.  Places of worship should not be subjected to such violence and intimidation. These acts have no place in Canada,” Khanna said.

Similarly, Liberal MP from South Brampton Sonia Sidhu said: “I am deeply disappointed by the recent acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton. In Canada, religious freedom is fundamental, and everyone deserves to feel safe and protected in their place of worship. I strongly condemn any acts of violence.”

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown expressed his ‘disappointment’ over the attack and invoked religious freedom and whatnot but carefully skipped mentioning the “K” word. Perhaps, Khalistanis have become Voldemort for the Canadian politicians who have decided not to make any mention of the “he who must not be named”.

Interestingly, Pierre Poilievre has been vocal against attacks on Hindus and Hindu temples by Khalistani terrorists in Canada, however, as the elections approach, the Conservative leader has been trying to woo the anti-India elements too. In August this year, Poilievre visited the pro-Khalistan Guru Nanak Mission Centre (GGNMC) in Brampton. The GGNMC calls slain Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar a martyr—the same Nijjar, whose assassination is at the heart of the Canada-India diplomatic spat.

In a blatant display of the mainstreaming of appeasement of Khalistanis in Canadian politics, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre and several other MPs participated in the Khalsa Day celebrations in Toronto in April this year. During the event, ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ and other outrageous slogans were raised by the Khalistani elements, however, neither PM Trudeau nor Poilievre dared to stop them let alone condemning.

Interestingly, the Liberal ecosystem in Canada accuses Pierre Poilievre of going the Donald Trump way and even imitating him, in fact, Poilievre is often called “Canada’s Trump” for his conservative agenda. However, Poilievre is no Trump and not even close to becoming as unapologetic and fearless as the American leader. Recently, Donald Trump vowed to safeguard the interests of Hindu Americans, protecting them from the “anti-religion agenda of the radical left.” He also condemned the violence against the Hindus and other minority groups in Bangladesh after the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Unlike, Poilievre, Trump has far more clarity on who is harming Hindus in his country, and most importantly, the Republican Party leader is not mollycoddling anti-India elements, particularly, Khalistani and Islamic terrorists.

While Poilievre has severely criticised PM Trudeau for destroying bilateral relations with India by accusing Indian diplomats and the government of assassinating Hardeep Singh Nijjar and indulging other ‘criminal’ activities without presenting a shred of evidence, the Conservative leader’s failure in explicitly condemning the Khalistani terrorists and anti-Hindu violence they unleash indicates that Poilievre is becoming just as bad as Trudeau who has turned Canada into a safe haven for Khalistanis. The future of Hindu Canadians is bleak as the Canadian leaders are genuflecting before violent extremists who challenge India’s territorial integrity every day, and attack Hindu temples every now and then with absolute impunity but neither the ruling party nor the opposition party dares to even mention Khalistanis in the farcical ‘condemnation’ of the anti-Hindu attacks. 

What is the value of condemning anti-Hindu violence by Khalistanis without mentioning Khalistanis? Condemning the attack just for the sake of it or for projecting oneself as the well-wisher of Hindus? Even NDP leader, a known anti-India Khalistani supporter and former ally of Trudeau condemned the attack, of course, without making any mention of Khalistani perpetrators. This makes the Canadian Hindus wonder if Pierre Poilievre is no different from Jagmeet Singh or Justin Trudeau.

“Every Canadian must be free to visit their place of worship in peace. I unequivocally condemn the acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir. Violence anywhere is wrong. I join community leaders in calling for peace,” Singh said.

This systematic omission of the word “Khalistanis” in Canada’s political discourse waters down the real issue of Khalistani secessionism and terrorism which is the main dispute between India and Canada. Both, Pierre Poilievre and Justin Trudeau are advertently or inadvertently facilitating the normalisation of Khalistanis attacking Hindus and their temples. If the Canadian Police and the political leaders decide not to call out the Khalistani perpetrators but only condemn their ‘act of violence’ since Hindus also form a significant voter base, Canada is shamelessly refusing to address its Khalistan problem which has magnified into a full-fledged dispute with India. While this blatant political opportunism might turn out lucrative for Poilievre since Brampton has a significant Khalistani population, allowing the anti-India elements to thrive for mere electoral gains will have long-term implications. Pierre Poilievre joining the Liberal Party circus in perpetuating a sense of impunity by avoiding direct criticism of Khalistani elements suggests that the Conservative leader has thrown his political ideology for a toss simply for electoral gains.