A B.C. Supreme Court lawsuit claims Sikh factions aligned with Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan resulted in the ouster of the society which formed the Sikh cadets.
SURREY – Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan is being accused of political meddling by a group which formed Canada’s first Sikh cadet regiment and was recently ousted as a sponsor.
The Friends of the Sikh Cadets Society have filed a lawsuit claiming to have been ousted by factions aligned with Sajjan.
According to the B.C. Supreme Court notice of civil claim, the Friends of the Sikh Cadets Society claims its agreement to fund the regiment was unilaterally terminated in June by the Army Cadet League of Canada.
The society claims the move was the result of a “conspiracy orchestrated and/or emanated” in part from Sajjan’s office, reported CBC News.
“The conspiracy was fuelled by rival Sikh factions aligned with Minister Sajjan which led to undue interference of the operations by the society and its ultimate ouster,” the claim states.
“As a result of the conspiracy, the operations of the 3300 BCR British Columbia Regiment (Bhai Kanhaiya) are in disarray, leaving stranded dozens of teenagers and their parents in one of Canada’s fastest growing cadet program(s).”
The Sikh cadet regiment was formed in 2012 to honour the heritage of Sikhs in the Canadian Forces.
The claim cites an email from an ex-staff member of the regiment which alleges Sajjan “did not like certain members of Friends of (the) Sikh Cadets Society” including society chairman Harbinder Singh Sewak.
The lawsuit also alleges the “conspiracy” led to a last-minute decision in April by the commander of Maritime Forces Pacific to decline the gift of a ceremonial sword at a Vaisakhi ceremony organized by members of the society.
Sajjan’s spokeswoman, Jordan Owens, said the minister “has proudly worked to promote diversity throughout the Canadian Armed Forces” both as a member of the Canadian Forces reserves and as a politician.
“Having served in the military, Minister Sajjan has great respect for the Chain of Command, and trusts them to make the decisions that have been delegated to them,” Owens said in an email.
None of the claims has been proven in court.
