Disinviting Liberal MPs from Sikh temples 'under consideration,' as fallout continues from Modi G7 invite

OTTAWA — A prominent community activist says disinviting Liberal MPs from visiting Sikh temples is one of the steps being considered to send a message to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government over its decision to invite India’s prime minister to the upcoming G7 leaders’ summit.  Moninder Singh, a spokesman for Sikh Federation Canada and the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council, said the repercussions from Carney’s decision to extend an invitation to Narendra Modi will not disappear once the G7 leaders’ meeting in Alberta ends next week. “Everything is on the table going forward,” he told reporters during Thursday’s news conference. “We won’t back down from this issue once Mr. Modi arrives, and he leaves, this won’t be an issue that just goes away with him. For us, it’s a deep sense of betrayal.” Sikh activists, organizations, community leaders, as well as some Liberal MPs, have been speaking out about Canada’s decision to invite Modi to the G7 in light of statements made by the RCMP that it has evidence showing India’s government is involved in violent crimes in Canada, from murders to gang activity. In September 2023, former prime minister Justin Trudeau stunned the House of Commons when he said Canada had “credible allegations” that agents acting on behalf of India had been involved in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who in June of that year was shot outside of a temple in Surrey, B.C. India has denied the accusation, which caused the Canada-India relationship to plummet. A thawing of some of those tensions appeared to happen last week, when Modi confirmed he would be attending next week’s G7 leaders’ meeting in Alberta at Carney’s invitation. Carney has defended making the invitation by saying he did so as chair of the G7 and after discussions with other countries. He also said India plays a central role in the world’s supply chains and boasts the fifth-largest economy and largest population. The prime minister also said when he spoke to Modi they agreed to continue   “law enforcement to law enforcement dialogue.” Carney also said that “some progress” had been made on issues of “accountability.” Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the World Sikh Organization, told reporters Thursday that given past statements about India’s ties to Nijjar’s death and other acts of violence, extending an invitation to Modi sends the message to Sikh Canadians, “that our lives simply don’t matter “This is a Canadian issue, but it doesn’t feel as though this is being treated like a Canadian issue,” he said. “It’s being treated as though it’s just those brown people, it’s just the Sikhs, and you know, if a foreign government is killing them or threatening them or surveilling them, it’s OK. We’ll invite the prime minister and, you know, we’ll have a weekend in the mountains, and we’ll chat. That’s not how you would approach a threat from any other foreign country.” His organization, along with Sikh Federation Canada and the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council and others, are demanding the Liberal government withdraw Modi’s invitation until more cooperation takes place with Canadian police agencies, as well as suspend intelligence-sharing agreements with India and hold a public inquiry into foreign interference and “transnational oppression.” Moninder Singh said multiple protests are being organized at sites near Kananaskis in Alberta, where the G7 leaders are meeting, as well as on Parliament Hill for Saturday. Asked whether temples may disinvite Liberal MPs from visiting over the issue, Singh told reporters on Thursday that it was “under consideration.” “It has been talked about. We want to make sure that the government does the right thing. And what relationship do we have if our lives and the lives of our community members are going to be put at risk?” On Wednesday, Balreept Singh said they met with some MPs to express their concerns, some of whom “expressed their inability to speak out publicly.” Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who represents the riding where Nijjar was shot, told reporters earlier that day that he raised the issue directly with Carney, saying many constituents have expressed their concern.  Fellow B.C. Liberal MP Gurbux Saini also said he has heard the same. National Post staylor@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.