Debates of Sept. 19th, 2023

Allegations Against Government of India

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Chair, in forming my thoughts, I find this a very difficult topic because we have had allegations of foreign interference and now nothing could be more disturbing, troubling and unacceptable than the murder of a Canadian on Canadian soil. However, we have obligation as parliamentarians to stay calm and to allow the investigation to take place. We must, and I think we all are united in this, insist on justice being done and that the perpetrators be found.

I have questions at this point, as we stay calm and seek the facts. What on earth is going on with our security agencies that they were unable to keep Mr. Nijjar safe on Canadian soil? They had warnings. They knew. That is a question that I have in my mind, and I hope that we can get to the bottom of that as well. We need to know for a fact whether the Indian government was involved in killing a Canadian. We need to know, and we do not know that yet.

I am reminded of the Air India inquiry. The Air India inquiry, of course, looked into the 1985 bombing, which is the single largest terrorist attack ever in Canada. It killed 329 people. However, Mr. Justice Major's report, and I remember this with great clarity, told us that we could have averted that bombing if only CSIS and the RCMP had communicated with each other to avert the attack. Now we know that in June Mr. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered and our security forces had advance warning, but they did not prevent his killing. I want to ask some of those same questions. Were they talking to each other? What steps were taken? What steps were not taken?

I am also quite shocked by the news that has come out through the CBC from comments made by the Minister of Emergency Preparedness that the Prime Minister chose to tell us this yesterday because otherwise the information was going to be in the media. Therefore, once again, we are drawn back to not a suggestion but the reality that in our security agencies we have people who think it is okay to leak information to the media. I go back to the report of the Right Hon. David Johnston, former special rapporteur. We know how that went, but Mr. Johnston made it very clear that we have to find out who leaks information from our security agencies because it brings Canadian security information and our security forces into disrepute with our Five Eyes partners. Security agencies need to understand—

[The Assistant Deputy Chair, Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

I apologize, but we do have to go to questions and comments.

The hon. member for Port Moody—Coquitlam.

[Bonita Zarrillo, NDP, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Chair, I have listened to the member's questions tonight, specifically about some concerns around the intelligence that comes from our public safety department. I wonder if she could expand a little. Does she have any thoughts about what is going on there?

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Chair, the question is, what is our role as members of Parliament? That is one thing I put that lens on in trying to figure out what I was going to say this evening. We can always comment on what we know about Prime Minister Modi and his anti-human-rights record and so on. However, what do we really know, and what, as parliamentarians, should we have a responsibility to oversee?

I think we need to pay a lot more attention to what is going in CSIS and the RCMP. We have not focused on the RCMP much in the House, and it may seem unrelated for some members. However, the mass casualty report points to an agency that has deep rot and real problems. We can look at CSIS, and I do not understand how we could allow the people in CSIS to call themselves whistle-blowers when they violate national security legislation, apparently with impunity. Apparently someone has done it again. We need to look at that.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Chair, I too want to join the chorus of my colleagues in the House today in sending my condolences on behalf of the communities of Edmonton Griesbach, as well as many communities in Alberta, to the family of Mr. Nijjar, who was ruthlessly murdered outside of a B.C. temple. This is an egregious attack on safety, security and the feelings of dignity that Canadians expect when they come to Canada, when they become Canadian.

Turtle Island, this place, my ancestors, the indigenous people of this land, by way of treaty, have made commitments to share this place, to have a peaceful place and to have a place we can all call home.

The troubling news delivered by the Prime Minister just yesterday, that a fellow Canadian, a member of our community, a member of our country, could be so ruthlessly gunned down and to have alleged connections confirmed by our intelligence agencies to the Indian government is truly heartbreaking. It is heartbreaking not just for Canadians who value our systems, our safety and our institutions but it is heartbreaking for the world that we have come to a place where human lives can be so easily taken because of political dissent, because of an opinion that someone might hold.

I want to be able to put my words into some context for those who may feel blindsided, who may feel as though this has come, figuratively, out of nowhere.

My friends, this is not a new instance for many of the diaspora community members who know India.

In the last eight years alone, India has gone from a vibrant, diverse and populous democracy, a beacon of how large and successful democracies can be, to a deteriorated state in which majoritarianism has directly eliminated and is trying to eliminate the rights of Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits and Christians right across India. This includes lynchings, killings, shootings and unprecedented violence against community members simply for who they are.

I am troubled by tonight's debate because the chorus of my colleagues from the Liberal bench, the Bloc Québécois, the Green Party and New Democrats has come together at a time when our country needs us to, to dwell deeply on the concerns of many Canadians, on the concerns of their safety. Absent, of course, are Conservative colleagues, who very often in this place speak of other foreign governments and their interference in our democracies.

However, they are now silent. When a Canadian has been gunned down, they have no words, not even words of sympathy for a fellow Canadian who has been killed. Shame.

I call on the Leader of the Opposition to make his truth known to Canadians, make the truth known of his party's close affiliation to that of the Prime Minister of India, of Modi's BJP government. It has been said that the former prime minister, a Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper congratulated and celebrated Mr. Modi and his government. These are the reasons why we hear silence today. My friends, these are the reasons why we are hearing silence at a time when we must come together to protect our institutions and to protect Canadians.

I now want to speak about some of the partner organizations here in Canada. They should continue to do their work, continue to do what is right, continue to speak truth to power, because here in Canada, we will continue to protect them. We will continue to fight every single day so that their rights are protected, so that their dignity is protected and so that their security is protected.

New Democrats stand for that. Canadians expect that. We will continue to fight for that.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Madam Chair, the member mentioned in his speech that the Conservatives are not speaking in the House today and that their leader is backtracking from the statement he made yesterday in the House. I just want to find out from the hon. member if the Conservatives got a call from Prime Minister Modi or former prime minister Stephen Harper to not speak on this topic and to backtrack from the statement that the Leader of the Opposition made yesterday in the House.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Chair, I want to thank my hon. colleague, who is a champion for his community, particularly right now. His leadership is important not only to Canadians but, of course, to many of those of Indian descent. I want to thank him for his words today and for championing something very difficult. To the member and his family, I wish them all the best.

As to why we are hearing silence from the Conservative Party today in the face of what is a tremendously serious issue to our national security and our sovereignty, I will simply quote the prime minister of yesterday, Stephen Harper. He once said that Prime Minister Modi was a good friend and was the best partner that Canada could have in India.

I would challenge that narrative and suggest that when a Canadian dies, when a Canadian is shot dead, it is time to speak. Now is the time to oppose such words. My deepest request to the Leader of the Opposition today would be to retract those words. Retract and condemn those words by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in light of the news we have now heard.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Chair, I want to thank my colleague, the member for Edmonton Griesbach, for his powerful speech. I think it was a difficult speech to make, but what we need in the House more than ever is for us to speak truth to power and to challenge each other to stand up, because what is at stake is Canadians' safety and Canada's sovereignty.

To that end, my question is this. The Conservatives feel that we must take on foreign interference with China. It follows, then, that if they want to ensure all Canadians are protected against foreign interference, should they not stand up in the House today in this take-note debate, join with all of us, the Liberals, the NDP and the Bloc, and stand united to send a clear message to the Indian government that we will not tolerate this kind of action and this kind of threat to Canadians? No matter where we come from and where we are in our communities today, we are united as one and we are all equals as Canadians.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Chair, when I decided to put my name forward to represent the fine people of Edmonton Griesbach, I knew it was on the principle of knowing that it would be my duty to protect Canadians. It is our duty to protect our country. It is our duty to protect the principles of the right to free speech, the right to dissent and the right to exist in a peaceful country. I do not back down from that commitment and pledge today. However, I would suggest that the Conservatives fulfill their oath of office, represent the communities they say they represent, stand in this place and make clear that we will not tolerate when Canadians are murdered.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Madam Chair, earlier today in the debate, it was mentioned that there are those in this place who are putting trade policy before human rights. I would like to hear my hon. colleague's reaction to that and thoughts on it.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Madam Chair, in the great tradition of many New Democrats prior to me and many of those who fought for freedom and justice elsewhere, it has been clear that people must stand before profits; they must. We do this because the dignity of Canadians, the dignity of our morality and the dignity of our country are at risk when we fail to do so.

It is up to each and every one of us now at this very delicate moment to be united, to stand with all Canadians and to send a strong message to Modi that we will not tolerate this. We will find those who have done this, and we will bring those to justice who dare harm the sovereignty of Canadians and the protection that we all hold so sacred.

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada]

Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Windsor—Tecumseh.

Canada offers a promise to live in a democracy where fundamental rights are safeguarded and guaranteed. That is why Canada is home to so many Canadians who have come from every corner of our planet, with many proudly represented in this House. They come to Canada because they know that we protect the rights of minorities and that Canadians have the right to express their views peacefully. Standing up for human rights should not label one as a terrorist.

Canadians understand that this country thrives because we listen to each other and work together, even when we disagree. I would say especially when we disagree. I have always said that it does not matter if one came to this country 300 years ago, 30 years ago or three years ago; we are all immigrants to this land. Only the first nations of these lands can say these lands were their original home. As Canadians, we share a common value. We are stronger when we learn from each other and peacefully share different ideas. It is crucial that these principles be safeguarded.

The potential involvement of the Indian government and the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is a grave violation of our sovereignty. It goes against the principles that we hold so dear. The perpetrators of the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar need to be brought to justice, and protecting the integrity of the investigation is crucial. I want to thank the law enforcement and intelligence agencies for the work they are doing on behalf of Canadians. Our government keeps working to modernize and enhance Canada's security and intelligence organizations, and we are providing them with the tools to take action and disrupt foreign interference and threats. I have complete confidence in their work, and I know that they will do everything in their power to protect Canada's sovereignty.

As we move through this extremely difficult time, my message to Canadians who were originally born in India, or whose families originally came from there, is to stress that calm, kindness and unity are of the utmost importance right now. I say this to Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and more. Let us not give a foreign state an opportunity or reason to point a finger at us. Those who seek to undermine Canada's sovereignty will do and say things to delegitimize and undermine our existence as Canadians. To that I say the following: Whatever our faith, we are Canadian; whatever the colour of our skin, we are Canadian. We are Canadian, and Canada is a free and strong democracy.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Chair, I really enjoyed the speech the minister just gave, and in particular, how he referenced that, unless we are of indigenous descent, we have all come here over the last few hundred years. As a matter of fact, I am a first-generation Canadian, as both of my parents came from Europe after World War II.

I think people have always sought to come to Canada because they are looking for a place where democracy is supreme, where we have the opportunity to thrive and where we have the freedoms that come with being able to express ourselves. Therefore, when we have a potential attack on that democracy and those freedoms, it seriously calls into question how we can see ourselves as Canadians moving forward and what we can do in order to protect that. Could the minister comment on that?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, Canadians have been coming here to Canada, to these lands, for a better life and better protection, whether it was 300 years ago, as I said, or even 30 years ago. When we come together, we learn from one another. Multiculturalism is thriving. We celebrate our diversity; however, we also celebrate where we came from. I am personally very proud of the fact that I was born in the small village of Bombeli in India.

I too have concerns about human rights violations, not only in India but also all over the world. I stood up very strongly, and still do to this day, to Russian aggression in Ukraine. In Canada, we have the opportunity to stand up for human rights, because that is what Canada represents. Our message to all the first generations who are born here, who have not seen the history and the past of where their families have come from, is that they should not take for granted what we have here. That is what we are talking about and protecting today.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Madam Chair, the minister is absolutely correct in indicating that multiculturalism and those of us who are immigrants helped build this country. We are equal partners in the sense that we make contributions while we also face challenges. We, of course, are living here on the lands of indigenous peoples, who have allowed us to be here as settlers.

What is troubling me the most in this debate tonight is the fact that the leader of the Conservatives and the Conservative caucus want Canadians to believe that they are friends of the immigrant community, yet they are entirely silent. When the life of a member of our community has been lost, potentially at the hands of a foreign government, how is it that the Conservatives are silent in this debate? We know that foreign interference is a real threat in this country right now. Where are they for the immigrant community, who are Canadians here in Canada and have made Canada their home? When their lives are being threatened by a foreign government, why are the Conservatives not here to speak up and to challenge the Indian government, which may well be involved in the loss of life of a Canadian?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, I think the official opposition's silence speaks loudly right now in comparison to the voice it had when it came to the foreign interference of one particular country. Hardeep Nijjar's family and son would understand the Sikh values of fighting for others' rights very well.

We should not let this incident just be about one country. This is a message to all communities that our country and our government will stand together. It is a message to the Chinese community, Iranian community and many others that are feeling the anxiety of this. At the same time, hopefully, they are listening to the silence of one particular party as well.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Surrey—Newton, BC]

Madam Chair, after 1984, when the Golden Temple was demolished by a military attack in India, there was a genocide of Sikhs in Delhi. After that, emotions were very high in the community across the globe when he was growing up. In fact, one casualty was here at home. I am speaking of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, whose own maternal uncle, her mom's brother, was brutally killed just because he was restless and emotional. Many people among his own constituents face the same consequences.

Could the minister comment on that?

[Harjit S. Sajjan, Liberal, Vancouver South, BC]

Madam Chair, many families, including my own, have very similar stories to this. I was 14 years old at that time, and I remember trying to serve my country in the military and constantly being attacked and being accused of being a terrorist. Fortunately for me, I had ability as a police officer and status as a member of the military. However, many Canadians do not have that, and every time they stand up for human rights, they are called out.

One of the things we will always do is stand up for fundamental human rights. We will also stand up for the rule of law in our own country.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment]

Madam Chair, Canada is home to the largest proportion of Sikhs on Planet Earth: more than in India, more than in the United States and more than in any other nation in the world.

We think of the many vibrant Sikh communities that now exist across Canada, in Vancouver, Surrey, Brampton, Calgary, Montreal and many more cities. With each passing day, more and more Sikh Canadians are calling my community of Windsor—Essex their home. They design and build cars at Stellantis and Ford. Sikhs care for seniors and residents at Windsor Regional Hospital and Hôtel-Dieu Grace hospital. They open businesses and restaurants, and share their culture and tradition with us.

On County Road 42, there sits a beautiful gurdwara where Sikhs in my community have gathered for more than two decades. It is a place of peaceful worship. It is a place of community, where families come together, where young Sikh Canadians go to Punjabi school and attend Khalsa Camp in the summers, where international students come to share in a meal and get a taste of home and where, in fact, the community prepares meals for each other, for the hungry and homeless in my community and for visitors like myself.

I have been to the gurdwara many times to celebrate Vaisakhi, to light a candle for Diwali, to share in the grief when three international students from St. Clair College lost their lives in a tragic car crash, and to speak with the incredible truck drivers who, day after day, deliver the food, medicines and car parts that make our community go.

More recently, this summer I visited with my friend, the hon. member for Brampton West, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, herself a Sikh, to meet with young Sikh Canadians attending Khalsa Camp. On another occasion, the Minister of Housing and the Minister of National Defence joined me at the gurdwara. There were three ministers, a Sikh, a Muslim and a Hindu, all welcomed warmly at the gurdwara. That is the best of what Canada is about.

To think for even one second that a member of my community could be killed just steps away from the gurdwara for their political beliefs, by a foreign agent working for a foreign country, is abhorrent to me. It is an offence to every single Canadian who believes in democracy, freedom of speech and the sovereignty of our laws and our country, Canada.

This is not new. For Sikh Canadians, such intimidation is not new. In the last 24 hours, I have had a chance to speak with members of my Sikh community, and they tell me the same thing. They worry that if they protest the treatment of farmers in Punjab, that they or their families could be targeted.

I see protests and rallies on Parliament Hill almost every single day, for all sorts of issues. Just today, I attended a union rally calling for the elimination of replacement workers. Peaceful protest is what Canada is all about. It is how we expand our freedoms. It is how we improve quality of life for all of our citizens. I cannot imagine someone fearing for their life because they are expressing their political view, but here we are.

My family knows this fear. In the old country, in Poland, my father was a local leader of the solidarity movement that fought for the rights of workers in communist Poland. Just after midnight on December 13, 1981, the police came to our door and arrested my father. Thousands of solidarity leaders were rounded up and imprisoned. For weeks, we did not know whether my father was alive or dead, all because he dared to speak up and stand up for justice and rights. Like so many immigrants, my family came to Canada to flee oppression and political persecution.

Canada accepted my family as political refugees and gave us safe harbour. That is the dream for millions of immigrants and new Canadians. That dream has been shattered with the news of the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

I had a chance tonight to speak with the family of Mr. Nijjar, who call my community home. To them, and to all Sikh Canadians, including those back home in Windsor-Tecumseh, we stand in solidarity. The Sikh faith compels us to speak out against injustice, and so we must and so we will. We will pursue the truth. We will bring justice, but let us do so together, united as Canadians.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Madam Chair, I would like to ask the parliamentary secretary a question.

He has been witness to a lot of debates here on foreign interference. All members of this House and all parties in this House have condemned any form of foreign interference, particularly when we had the debates on China's foreign interference in Canada. I find it very surprising. Every other party has spoken to condemning foreign interference by India, but one party is definitely silent in here. Does it mean that we are only to stand up for them when foreign interference affects their votes as a Conservative? Or does it mean we stand up for any foreign interference when lives are at stake?

In this case a person lost his life, and I do not see that other side speaking. I want to know if it only matters when Conservative votes get lost and a member from Steveston loses an election. Can the member for Windsor—Tecumseh speak to that?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Madam Chair, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his incredible work and for being the voice of immigrant communities and new Canadian communities from across the country, coast to coast.

Solidarity means that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us as Canadians. It is up to all of us in this House to stand together and to stand firm against this type of assault. This is an attack on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is an attack on who we are as Canadians, and my hon. colleague is absolutely right.

The silence from the opposition members is absolutely deafening—

[An hon. member]

Just one party.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

It is one party, and that is the Conservative Party. Its silence is absolutely deafening, and it is absolutely telling.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Madam Chair, building on that last question, we would almost have to assume, based on the lack of intervention into this debate by Conservatives, that it is an orchestrated, coordinated and collaborated attempt to be absolutely silent on the issue. The only individual to speak was the House leader for the Conservatives who had a 20-minute spot to speak. He spoke for only five minutes, and since then we have heard from no Conservatives. They have not even gotten up to ask a simple question. This is not an issue of politics; this is an issue of solidarity. This is an issue of realizing that we all come together because we all respect and value the rule of law in this country.

I am wondering if the parliamentary secretary can comment on the incredible absence we have seen in this House today, not just in speeches, but in the simple act of just getting up and asking a question and showing that solidarity.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Madam Chair, when our ally, Ukraine, was attacked viciously by Russia, all of us rose in the House of Commons to speak, to show our solidarity. We were here for late night take-note debates and emergency debates. We were here; we stood up and we cheered on the Ukrainian allies when they were under assault. We said, slava Ukraini, yet here we are and one of ours, a Canadian citizen, was killed and there are serious significant allegations that it is tied to a foreign agent and a foreign country, and where is the official opposition? Where is the Conservative Party, in terms of its voice? They are not here. We have not heard from them. That is absolutely appalling, and it is something I hope my colleagues across the way will reflect upon. I am sure Canadians will reflect upon that as well.