Canadian Leader of Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, at a Diwali event in Toronto's BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in 2023. (Image: Pierre Poilievre/Facebook)

Betrayed, say Canadian Hindus as Opposition leader pulls out of Diwali event

The Hindu-Canadian community has criticised Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre in very strong words after he and other leaders of his Conservative Party pulled out of a Diwali event that is in its 24th year. An Indo-Canadian organisation said it was a sign of the community being treated as 'outsiders' in Canada.

30 Oct 2024, 07:54 by Sushim Mukul · India Today

In Short

Hindu-Canadian community criticised Leader of Opposition for pulling out of Diwali event
An Indo-Canadian body said it felt betrayed by the unexplained move of Pierre Poiliever
It asked Poilievre to apologise and to exercise caution ahead of the crucial 2025 election

The Hindu-Canadian community has lashed out against Canada's Leader of Opposition Pierre Poilievre for cancelling his participation at a Diwali event over Canada's diplomatic conflict with India. The Hindus of Canada have said the move to cancel the Diwali celebrations by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition exposed that the community was considered "outsiders" in a country that prided itself for its multiculturalism.

The Overseas Friends of India Canada (OFIC) criticised Pierre Poilievre's office in a letter after he and leaders of his Conservative Party pulled out of the Diwali event that had been marked for the last 23 years.

No explanation was offered for the cancellation, OFIC President Shiv Bhasker wrote in the letter.

"The sudden withdrawal of politicians from this event, prompted by the current diplomatic situation between Canada and India, has left us feeling betrayed and unjustly singled out," the OFIC said.

Poilievre's cancellation of the Diwali event came even as the ties between India and Canada hit an all-time low after Ottawa alleged Indian diplomats were involved in collecting information and using criminal gangs for targeting Khalistani leaders. India recalled its high commissioner and expelled six Canadian diplomats.

"The letter represents the collective voice of the Indo-Canadian community, especially Hindu Canadians of 850,000 strong, a community that is educated, prosperous, law-abiding, and family-oriented," the OFIC letter said.

The Indo-Canadian organisation said that Poilievre's move exposed how the Indian community in Canada was considered "outsiders".

"This is not just about a cancelled Diwali event or an event where the politicians renege on their commitment to attend; it is about a much deeper and insidious problem. Racism and discrimination are thriving in Canada, and this latest development has laid bare the systemic biases that still exist,” Bhasker wrote.

The conflict between India and Canada comes ahead of the general election in Canada in 2025, and New Delhi has blamed Justin Trudeau's "vote bank politics" for the country harbouring Khalistani elements.

Pierre Poilievre's Conservative Party is expected to win the election. However, the Hindu community has asked it to be careful ahead of the crucial election.

"Remember, we will remember our friends at the time of exercising our franchise," the Indo-Canadian organisation said in the letter.

Social media are filled with numerous posts by Pierre Poilievre from previous years showing him celebrating Diwali, but this year he decided not to participate in the one in Ottawa's Parliament Hill.

Pierre Poilievre's X post of Diwali celebrations in Ottawa's Parliament Hill in November 2023. (Image: Pierre Poilievre on X)

Canadian Hindus on social media hit out at the decision to pull out of the event, with one calling it "disheartening".

"It's going to cost you a lot! You kicked the opportunity of yourself being PM of Canada," an X user from Toronto wrote.

Daniel Bordman, a Canadian journalist, called Poilievre's move "absolutely disgraceful".

He said Poilievre and the Conservative Party pulled out of the Diwali celebrations because they were "afraid that the Liberals and the media will accuse them of foreign interference".

The letter from OFIC asked Poilievre to apologise for an "insensitive and discriminatory act", saying the Indo-Canadian community had contributed to the fabric of Canadian society. Diwali, the organisation said, was a celebration of unity and togetherness, and by distancing themselves from it, Poilievre and his party had turned it into a moment of division.