Loud pro-Khalistan slogans were raised from the crowd when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walked up to address the Sikh Community at an event in Toronto on Sunday. At the event, the Canadian Prime Minister vowed that his government would always “protest” the “rights and freedoms” of the Sikh community in the country.
Justin Trudeau was addressing a gathering at the Khalsa Day Parade in downtown Toronto. “To the nearly 800,000 Canadian of Sikh heritage, we will always be there to protect your rights and freedoms and we will always defend your community against hatred and discrimination,” he said.
Justin Trudeau said that diversity is one of Canada's greatest strengths, and the country is strong not despite the differences, but because of those differences.
"One of Canada's greatest strengths is its diversity. We are strong not in spite of our differences, but because of our differences; but even as we look at these differences, we have to remember, and get reminded on days such as this, and every day, that Sikh values are Canadian values," Trudeau said.
The Canadian PM also noted that the country is enhancing the security and infrastructure programmes by “adding more security at community centres and places of worship, including Gurdwaras”.
{{/usCountry}}The Canadian PM also noted that the country is enhancing the security and infrastructure programmes by “adding more security at community centres and places of worship, including Gurdwaras”.
{{/usCountry}}"Your right to practice your religion freely, and without intimidation is exactly that. A fundamental right guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of rights and Freedoms that we will always stand up and defend you for," Trudeau assured.
However, in a video, shared by CPAC on YouTube, loud chants of pro-Khalistan were heard in the background as Trudeau speaks.
Watch the video here:
Trudeau, as he continued his address, said, “I know many of you have loved ones that you want to see more often, that is why our government has negotiated a new agreement with India to add more flights, and more routes between our countries, and we will keep working with our counterparts to add even more flights, including to Amritsar.”
The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwaras Council (OSGC) states that Vaisakhi, also called Khalsa Day, commemorates the founding of the Sikh community in 1699 as well as the Sikh New Year.
The group has been organising an annual parade down Lake Shore Boulevard for many years; the council claims that it is the third-largest parade in the nation and that it regularly draws thousands of spectators, according to CBC News.
Trudeau's speech comes at a time when the diplomatic relations between India and Canada are going through a difficult phase.
The killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has sparked a row between India and Canada.
Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on the evening of June 18, 2023.