By Canadian Press

Mass lobbying effort launched to convince Goodale to remove mention of Sikh terrorism

Mar 28, 2019 | 1:01 PM

OTTAWA — A Canadian group advocating for an independent Sikh state in India says the federal government has put all Sikh Canadians in jeopardy by listing Sikh extremism as one of five major terrorist threats in this country.

Sikhs for Justice is launching a mass mailing campaign to MPs through to the fall federal election that demands the Liberals rescind all mentions of Sikh terror groups in the 2018 report on threats in Canada.

There are half a million Canadians who identify as Sikh living a number of ridings, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area and suburban Vancouver, where the issue could play a role in the election results.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the legal adviser to Sikhs for Justice, says the government has no evidence and can cite no incidents of Sikh extremism in Canada other than the 1985 bombing of an Air India flight.

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In a letter sent this week to Public Safety Minister Goodale and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pannun says the mention of Sikh extremism in the report coupled with the lack of government support for the right to push for a free Khalistan, sends the message the government thinks Khalistanis are terrorists.

Goodale said last year his department would review the language used in the report to ensure it wasn’t equating entire religions with extremism.

The Canadian Press