Trudeau’s conservative rival Poilievre supports Hindus amidst threats from Khalistanis

Canada’s opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has condemned hateful speech targeting the Hindu community in the North American country.

Poilievre took to X on Saturday to acknowledge the “invaluable contributions" the Hindu community has made to every part of Canada.

“In recent days, we have seen hateful comments targeting Hindus in Canada. Conservatives condemn these comments against our Hindu neighbours and friends,” Poilievre posted on X.

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“Hindus have made invaluable contributions to every part of our country and will always be welcome here,” he wrote, adding “Every Canadian deserves to live without fear and feel welcomed in their community.”

His remarks came after Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), issued threats to Canada’s Hindu community and asked them to leave the country.

India-Canada tensions

Pierre Poilievre's tweet comes at a time of heightened tension in India-Canada relations. This tension arose after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Monday. Nijjar, designated as a terrorist in India, was killed in Surrey, Canada, on June 18.

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India has firmly rejected Trudeau's allegations, dismissing them as "absurd and politically motivated." On Wednesday (Sept 20), the Ministry of External Affairs advised Indian nationals, especially students, and travellers heading to Canada to exercise caution. In response to Canada's expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat, India also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat on Tuesday.

Opposition questions Trudeau

In the midst of these developments, Pierre Poilievre has called on Trudeau to provide all the necessary facts before passing judgment.

In a media address on Tuesday, Poilievre said, "I think the prime minister needs to come clean with all the facts. We need to know all the evidence possible so that Canadians can make judgments on that.”

Poilievre's remarks came in response to a media query that asked what more should be done as an Indian diplomat was expelled by Canada.

"The prime minister hasn't provided any facts. He provided a statement. And I will just emphasise that he didn't tell me any more in private than he told Canadians in public. So we want to see more information," Poilievre said.

He stated that the allegations could be found untrue if more information is not provided.

"We need to have the evidence that drew that allowed the prime minister to come to the conclusions he made yesterday," he said.

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