Debates of Oct. 21st, 2024

RCMP Allegations Concerning Foreign Interference from the Government of India

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I always say that past behaviour predicts future behaviour. We have seen what the Liberals have done in nine years, which is nothing. They have let this issue simmer and get to a point where Canadians are now losing their lives.

The member is right that the Liberals like to brag about their record, but it is a record of failure, and they will continue to distract however they can from the failed record of the government. I understand they are frustrated. It is tough having internal caucus problems that are spilling into the public, but we are here to fight for Canadians and not their party. I get that it is tough, but we need real, tangible solutions from the government, which we have not seen in the last nine years.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I asked a question of the member earlier tonight and did not get a response, so I will keep it very simple for him. Will the member commit to banning entry to BJP officials who have called for racist and genocidal violence against Muslims and other minorities in India, yes or no?

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, any person who pushes hate or has a criminal background should not be allowed in our country. Unlike what the government has done by granting ISIS terrorists citizenship, the Conservatives will make sure that our immigration system has the integrity to protect Canadians and not allow criminals into the country.

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

Mr. Speaker, are the Conservatives serious about bail reform? A number of Conservatives have said this is because of bail reform. Do they think the Indian government is sitting back and saying that since Canada just changed its bail laws, it should try to infiltrate us and do nefarious things here? That is what I am hearing from the Conservatives over and over.

The member talks about how serious this issue is. Has he had a conversation with his leader? His leader will not even talk about it. He will not even make a single social media post on it. He will not even get a security clearance so that he too can have all of the facts. Does the Conservative leader not care about this?

[Arpan Khanna, Conservative, Oxford, ON]

Mr. Speaker, this is the same grandstanding that we have seen from the Prime Minister, and now the Liberals have taken up acting classes themselves.

When we have soft-on-crime policies, not only are we signalling it domestically, but we are also sending a message to international gangs terrorizing our communities. We are letting them know that we are a playground for foreign interference. The government should be setting the tone, but has failed to do anything.

The Liberals can grandstand all they want, but the proof is in the pudding. Extortion is up 360% because of their failures.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Export Promotion]

Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Surrey Centre.

The constituents in my riding of Brampton East are very anxious. They are anxious about acts of violence targeting the Sikh and broader South Asian community, about foreign interference in our democratic processes, and about these being directly tied to agents of the Government of India, as the RCMP commissioner publicly and clearly stated last week.

The rule of law must be respected, and our citizens must be protected. We will not tolerate any form of harassment, intimidation or violence targeting Canadians. I know that all parliamentarians in this chamber would agree with that.

There is a lot of misinformation flying around, and I have had constituents reach out to me with questions, so please allow me to state some facts on the record for those watching at home. There were 22 individuals who were arrested and charged in relation to extortion and eight arrested and charged in relation to homicides. This is thanks to the hard work of the RCMP and law enforcement agencies across Canada.

Back in February 2024, the RCMP created a multidisciplinary team to coordinate and investigate public threats. Through very active investigations, it has come across very serious findings, and it felt the public needed to know, which led to the press conference it initiated last Monday. I want to ensure that words are not mixed up, so I would like to read what the RCMP commissioner very clearly stated on the record last week.

He stated:

Investigations have revealed that Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India, either directly or through their proxies; and other individuals who acted voluntarily or through coercion.

Evidence also shows that a wide variety of entities in Canada and abroad have been used by agents of the Government of India to collect information. Some of these individuals and businesses were coerced and threatened into working for the Government of India. The information collected for the Government of India is then used to target members of the South Asian community.

This evidence was presented directly to Government of India officials, urging their cooperation in stemming the violence and requesting our law enforcement agencies work together to address these issues.

I would like to note that the United States, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand have all urged the Government of India to co-operate with our law enforcement agencies. This is a very serious matter and we all need to stand together to show a united front against any form of foreign interference. There are people out there who want to divide communities, but as leaders here in the House, it is our job as parliamentarians to bring communities together. Four out of the five party leaders represented in this very chamber have either received their security clearance or are in the process of getting it. There is only one party leader who chooses to close his eyes and remain oblivious to foreign interference and continues to refuse to get a security clearance. That is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.

The Prime Minister stated, under oath I may add, “I have the names of a number of parliamentarians, former parliamentarians and/or candidates in the Conservative Party of Canada who are engaged, or at high risk of, or for whom there is clear intelligence around foreign interference”.

Is that what the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is afraid to confront, Canadians being threatened, coerced with violence and even murdered? As a leader, would he not want to know about the risks that impact the safety and security of Canadians? Would he not want to know if someone in his party is engaged in or at risk of foreign interference? Would he not want to stand up for the protection of democracy? These are the important questions being asked by Canadians across the country with respect to the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Having a top-level security clearance would allow him to receive classified briefings on foreign interference.

Of Conservative Party voters, 60% said that all leaders, including the Conservative leader, should get a security clearance. He is not even listening to his own party. What is he hiding? He needs to wake up, get his clearance and start taking foreign interference seriously.

I would like to thank the Minister of Public Safety for his commitment to disrupt and counter foreign interference risks. This past June, Bill C-70 received royal assent, bringing a significant update to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, among several other legislative amendments. These amendments enhance Canada's collective resilience and uphold these values that we know are pivotal to maintaining a healthy and strong democracy.

With accountability comes transparency. That is why our government, through the public safety ministry, has established a new Canada foreign influence transparency registry. This registry imposes an obligation on individuals and entities to register their arrangements with any foreign principal and disclose any foreign influence activities in relation to governmental or political processes in Canada. Activities such as communication with a public office holder, communication or dissemination of information to the public by any means, as well as the disbursement of money or items, including providing a service or use of a facility, would result in a registration requirement.

Not reporting can lead to penalties and fines of up to $5 million and up to five years in prison. Although this is a new policy for Canada, other allied countries, such as the United States and Australia, already have foreign registries in place that require those acting on behalf of a foreign state to register their activities. The United Kingdom has also announced its plans to introduce a similar process.

Our government knows that now is not the time to sit back on our heels and wait for things to happen. Now is the time to be proactive in our efforts to ensure that policies and mechanisms we have in place protect Canadians and our institutions. With these measures in place, our government is better able to hold those in positions of influence to account by ensuring that they report on matters of importance regarding foreign principals. As the age-old saying goes, knowledge is power, which is why the proper procedures and policies must be in place so that Canadians are aware and informed.

I, like many of my hon. colleagues, have received a heightened number of emails, calls and letters from constituents who are scared and who are worried about their families and friends. Attending prayer, gathering with loved ones or attending community events should not be coupled with worrying about one's safety or the fear of being a target. Canadians have the right to express their religious beliefs, thoughts and ideas freely, without fear of persecution, without inciting any type of violence or hate.

I hope that what I have spoken to today can provide my constituents and all Canadians with reassurance that our government will always uphold their rights and freedoms and impose serious consequences on anyone who decides to infringe upon them.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Peel Regional Police and all of the law enforcement agencies across our country who have been vital in keeping our communities safe. Their bravery, dedication and unwavering response to answer the call of duty should be recognized and commended.

No matter what our political stripes are, I know that all members of the House can agree upon condemning any acts of foreign interference. In the essence of unity, I know that we will continue to stand together in the pursuit of justice. As the RCMP's investigation continues, maintaining a united front is paramount, and any act that impedes the pursuit of justice will not be tolerated.

I close today by saying that whether we are Buddhist, Catholic, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh or agnostic, at the end of the day, we are all Canadians. As Canadians, regardless of our political leanings, we need to continue to stand together against foreign interference that targets our communities, that wants to divide our communities, that wants to instill fear in our communities. We are united as Canadians. Let us continue looking out for each other and lean on each other, because that is what Canadians do.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague's speech this evening was very well done. It brought up a lot of interesting and important points. Obviously, like him, I am utterly disgusted that the Leader of the Opposition will not get his security clearance. That is obviously a challenge for us.

He outlined so many risks that we see right now that are happening, and to me there seems to be a very urgent need for a committee to be able to look at this. This is a very complex issue. There are many parts of Canada's relationship with India that I think need to be examined, yet the Liberal Party stopped the unanimous consent motion brought forward by the leader of the NDP calling for the creation of such a committee.

I am wondering what justification he has for the Liberal Party to deny Canadians that right.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I did not oppose that motion.

I think it is important to note that the public safety committee does have a study ongoing now, with six meetings. I know that the Minister of Public Safety and, I believe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will be appearing at that committee.

We also have very important work going on through the foreign interference inquiry, through the Hogue commission. I know that we are all looking forward to seeing the report that comes out from that.

[Iqwinder Gaheer, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague and I both represent the Peel region, a region that has a large South Asian diaspora. He and I have had conversations with residents who are rightly concerned based on the allegations put forward by the RCMP. What conversations has he had with residents, and how does he reassure residents that the RCMP has the backs of Canadians?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the member for asking a very important question on local community safety. He is probably getting the same calls I am getting from constituents who are worried about extortion calls to their neighbours and worried about violence and threats against their neighbours.

Working with the RCMP, Peel police have taken a very active stance. As I said, close to 22 people were arrested and charged for extortion and close to eight people were arrested and charged for homicide. Many of these arrests have been made in Peel thanks to the hard work of Peel police. I want to take a moment to thank the officers involved in this very important matter for keeping our communities safe.

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

Mr. Speaker, I personally find it extremely alarming that the Leader of the Opposition did not issue a statement on the incredible RCMP revelation that happened last week.

As others have said, I also find it absolutely perplexing that the Leader of the Opposition would not get a security clearance so he could at least understand and absorb the information. The Conservatives get up repeatedly, at least two or three times today, to say “release the names”, but their leader has access to all these names. All he would need to do is get a security clearance and he would have the names.

I am wondering if the member is as equally confused about all of this as I am. One, the Leader of the Opposition will not make a single statement on this, at least not publicly, and two, he seems to hide at every single opportunity instead of getting a security clearance so he can have access to the information that we would naturally assume anybody aspiring to be prime minister would want.

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, that is a very important question that Canadians are asking at this important time. They are wondering why someone who hopes to be the future prime minister of this country would not want a security clearance. As I said, four of the five leaders in the House of Commons either have had a security clearance or have applied to get one. He is the only leader in the House who does not want to get one, because he does not want to know the truth. I am not sure what he is trying to hide, but he clearly does not want to know the truth.

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I listened to the member's speech and have listened to a number of Liberal and NDP members speak today, and much in their speeches is about the opposition leader. Instead of talking today about the issue of how we protect Canadians from foreign interference and from what India did and how we can resolve it and have less of it, cutting it down, why are they focusing more on politics than the safety of Canadians?

[Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East, ON]

Mr. Speaker, a lot of Canadians are asking why the Leader of the Opposition does not want to do his job. He does not want to hold his party accountable. He does not want to see the details. He does not want to get a security clearance.

There are a lot of things the Conservative leader is avoiding, and we want to know why. If a person claiming to be the leader of the opposition of Canada does not want to get a security clearance, there is something wrong. Canadians need to dig a little deeper.

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

Mr. Speaker, first, I want to say how surprised I am to be here and to see that at least some members of the Conservative Party of Canada are present at this emergency debate—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Order. We cannot underline who is here or who is not.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I commend the Conservatives for having some members here. I want to also remember the last time, on September 19, 2023, when they were all ordered to stay away from the chamber and not make any statements or ask questions. I wonder who called the member for Carleton to vacate the chamber at that time.

In 2023, the Prime Minister rose in the House of Commons and affirmed what Sikh Canadians had feared. Agents within the Indian government were responsible for the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil and at a place of worship. Little did we know that this would just be the beginning of the shock waves across our nation, that we would find out about India's dangerous interference with Canadian democracy, public life and organized crime.

In the months that followed this historic statement, Sikh and South Asian businesses within my constituency and the city of Surrey began receiving threats of extortion and violent calls and messages. One of many examples is a local Surrey business owner who was threatened to either pay thousands of dollars or face consequences, with the extortionist stating, “If you do not pay us, we are going to burn your car, and then we are coming in 20 minutes.”

Another experience involved a threat by an extortionist firing bullets through a home while families were present inside. To top this all off, multiple Sikh community leaders were given a “duty to warn” by the RCMP, indicating that they were in imminent threat of assassination due to their differing political opinions.

We then saw the home of one of Canada's biggest South Asian artists, AP Dhillon, being fired upon and vehicles in his driveway being lit on fire, all while it was being videotaped and subsequently aired by the perpetrators themselves, a technique designed to instill fear and terror in Canadians.

The RCMP stated that these actions by the agents of the Indian government were not only against Sikh Canadians who oppose the Indian government but also against anyone who opposes the Indian government for any reason. Let me remind everyone that if that is the case, then anyone who opposes the current Indian government can be a target.

I want to commend the RCMP, our intelligence agencies and all the law enforcement agencies of this country for their extraordinary work in discovering the Indian government's criminal acts and transnational aggression. I thank them. These actions are a grave threat, not only to the sovereignty of Canada but also to the basic public security of Sikh and South Asian communities. Sikh Canadians whose families come to Canada to build a safe and secure future for their families, fleeing prosecution many times and violence from the Indian government, now find that the violence is being brought to their doorsteps right here in Canada.

We will not and cannot leave these families and communities vulnerable in a time of need. As Canadians, it is our duty to serve and protect all those who have worked tirelessly over the decades, contributing to the betterment of Canadian society. Many of the children of those who fled are now Canada's top business owners, lawyers, judges, nurses, teachers, doctors and entrepreneurs. We must stand up for them as a united chamber.

With the revelations coming out of the RCMP having evidence linking Indian government agents in Canada to these threats, extortion and violent crimes, including the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and potentially other murders, the time has now come to put politics aside and unite as a country in condemning these acts of horrific violence.

There is a lot of propaganda coming out of India, and, in fact, even from the Conservative leadership, that states, “Show the evidence.” It has now been confirmed that the RCMP shared the evidence with India. However, the Indian government refused to acknowledge it or co-operate with our authorities.

We know who else did the same: the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He is the only elected leader of a political party of the House who has not agreed to take an oath of secrecy that is required not only to see either the evidence against the Government of India in the murder, extortion and harassment of Sikhs and South Asian Canadians but also to see the unredacted report of NSICOP that identifies current or previous parliamentarians in the Conservative Party of Canada who are influenced by or work for the interests of foreign governments.

Therefore there are only two institutions that refuse to see the evidence: the Government of India and the Conservative Party of Canada. This should make everyone extremely concerned. Does a person who wants to be Prime Minister and who is the leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition not want to know the truth? Could it be because he does not want to see his own name in the report? Leaks from CSIS reports shown in the media have said that the state of India decided to support the MP from Carleton both financially and through institutes sympathetic to them to win the Conservative Party leadership.

Members and leaders within the House are elected to act on the concerns raised by their constituents. This means obtaining necessary security clearance that would allow them to identify threats from foreign nations, within their own parties and the chamber. For the last year, by not taking the oath for clearance, the leader of the Conservative Party has refused to protect the safety of Sikhs and South Asian Canadians. As the Prime Minister has revealed, there are former and active members within the Conservative Party who are or have been involved with foreign interference activities. Why does the leader of the Conservative Party continue to place his personal politics over the safety of Canadians?

Foreign interference activities by India are at an all-time high. In fact, foreign interference from India far exceeds that from China, Russia or Iran, all non-democracies, as only India has been identified by the RCMP as a state that has had its consular staff actually gather information and coordinate with organized crime to commit crimes in Canada on Canadian soil.

To Hindu Canadians, I want to be unequivocally clear: This is not a Sikh or Hindu issue. This is a Canadian issue, an issue of Canadians versus the Government of India. Today it is about Sikhs. Tomorrow it will be about the Dalit, political opponents of the BJP, women's groups or Christians. Hindu Canadians cannot let the Indian media fool them.

This is a time when all Canadian parliamentarians must stand together, show the world that Canada is a place where people can speak their mind, express themself and live free from reprisal. It is time for democracies to unite, stand by the rule of law and defend their citizens. It is a time for everyone, from the leadership of this country down to its citizens, to stand by our law enforcement agencies and take no lessons from those who try to intimidate and destroy us.

Canada is a free country and a sovereign state, and it will never allow a country to intimidate or threaten our citizens.

[Tim Uppal, Conservative, Edmonton Mill Woods, AB]

Mr. Speaker, unfortunately that was another Liberal speech that, instead of discussing foreign interference by India and the very serious allegations against that country, was more concerned about the opposition leader.

My question for the member is this: He comes from an area where extortion has risen by hundreds of per cent. I have gone there many times and heard from Canadians who are concerned about extortion. Part of that, as we have heard from the RCMP, is linked to Indian organized crime. There is no minimum mandatory penalty for extortion. Extortion has gone up under the current government, yet the member and his party did not support a private member's bill that would have actually handed out stronger sentences for extortionists. Why?

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, if the member's leader actually looked at the report and saw the evidence, he would know who is dictating and actually orchestrating the extortion. The extortion is being done by a foreign agency whose diplomats sat in this country and gathered information. There are 22 who have been arrested, and eight for murder. I would like to remind the House that—

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[The Deputy Speaker, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Order.

The hon. member for Surrey Centre has the floor.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the House that the people who have been arrested for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar have been and remain behind bars, so the argument of “bail, not jail” is inadequate in this case. The law enforcement agencies and the legal justice system of our country have actually maintained integrity and shown that they work.

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, I was reflecting on what the member said in his speech, and I really appreciated one of the comments he made, which was that this is not an issue of Hindu versus Sikh or Hindu versus Muslim. This is a Canadian issue, and we are looking at protecting Canadians of all backgrounds and recognizing that Canadian law is so vital and so important.

I wanted to ask him about how he feels about the Modi government and its use of genocidal language against minorities in India, including Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits, members of the LGBTQ2+ community and, of course, women, which he mentioned. I am wondering whether the member sees that there should be some sanctions put on the government, some restrictions to their movement, if the Modi government is going to be using such genocidal language against minority groups.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, I think all tools are at the disposal of the government and should be used. I think the very first measure, when it was discovered that Indian officials were involved, was the expulsion of those diplomats. My understanding is that more measures will be forthcoming, and I would not mind supporting what the member opposite was just saying. When minorities are being threatened and persecuted, or genocidal statements are being made about those communities, and the Sikh community has been victim to those genocidal tendencies, I think all measures should be on the table. The world should unite against any government that ever thinks or tries to act in such a manner.