NDP calls for India sanctions, ban on RSS in Canada during emergency date on Indian interference

TOI CORRESPONDENT FROM LONDON: Canadian NDP MPs speaking during an emergency debate in parliament on foreign interference from the Indian government in Canada have called for the RSS to be designated a terrorist organisation in Canada, for BJP officials who have called for racist and genocidal violence to be banned from the country, an end to sharing information, prohibiting the sale of Canadian arms, and for sanctions against India.

MPs in the Canadian House of Commons spoke on Monday night about how Canadian Sikhs felt frightened and many had even had extortion calls, had their homes shot at, and some had had to spend thousands of dollars on security or were living in hotels owing to threats from criminal gangs.

Liberal MP Ruby Sahota MP said: “I have had constituents come to me with videos of FaceTime calls from leaders of gangs sitting in prisons in India. How does that happen? How are people who are imprisoned in India contacting my constituents in order to extort them through local gang organisers in this country? There has to be foreign interference involved.” She agreed that “those who are in violation of human rights should not be let into this country”.

New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Heather McPhersen called on Canada to stop selling arms to India, a ban on entry for BJP officials from India who have called for race violence and genocidal violence against minorities, and for sanctions on India.

Liberal MP Randeep Sarai said: “I think all tools are at the disposal of government and should be used.” He said the first measure was expulsion of Indian diplomats and “more measures will be forthcoming… The world should unite against any government that ever thinks or tries to act in such a manner,” he said, referring to allegations by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) that agents of India’s government were involved in multiple homicides and extortions.

In the debate, which went on until midnight, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said: “We should be pausing information sharing with India. We should not be giving intelligence regarding Canadian citizens to a country and a government alleged to have hired gangs to commit violence against Canadians for over a year.” He also said: "There is a violent, extremist, right-wing organisation known as the RSS… it is very divisive, and it has branches across the world, including here in Canada. It needs to be banned.”

Hindu and Sikh Canadian MPs were united in condemning India’s alleged actions in Canada, which Delhi denies.

Liberal MP Randeep Sarai said: “To Hindu Canadians I want to be unequivocally clear. This is not a Sikh or Hindu issue. This is an issue of Canadians versus government of India… Foreign interference from India is at all-time high and far exceeds that from China, Russia, or Iran.”

The political parties each blamed each other for the rise in foreign interference in Canada.

Conservatives and NDP blasted Liberals for taking four years to set up a foreign agent registry. The Liberals accused the Conservative leadership race of Indian interference.

Conservative MP Jasraj Singh Hallan said: “Extortions are up. Violent crime is up. All these things have been happening because of soft-on-crime policies. That is the reality of living in Canada today.” He said “everything is politics” to the Trudeau government, blaming them for voting against his party’s extortion bill.

Extortion has gone up 360 per cent , homicides are up 28 per cent , violent crime is up 50 per cent , and violent gun crime up 116 per cent under Trudeau’s leadership. “The Liberals’ policies fostered this environment,” said Conservative MP Arpan Khanna.