WSO Says Indian Interference In Canadian Politics ‘Shocking’!
According to the Globe and Mail Investigation, former Ontario Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown, now the mayor of Mayor of Indo-Canadian dominated Brampton, was under “pressure” from the Indian consulate in Toronto to reject the candidacy of Vikram Singh because of the consulate’s allegations against his father. At the time, Brown asked a top Ontario Progressive Conservative Party donor, a man named Gursharan (Bobby) Sidhu, to give $5,000 to the then-leader’s girlfriend on the same day he agreed to let the supporter’s candidate (Vikram Singh) run in a controversial nomination race, according to newly unsealed court documents. WSO President Mukhbir Singh called “the Globe and Mail report with allegation of political interference in Canada by the Indian consulate in Toronto to reject a Sikh candidate absolutely shocking.
OTTAWA – The World Sikh Organization of Canada is deeply troubled by a report published Tuesday in the Globe and Mail that states Patrick Brown, the then leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, was “under ‘pressure’ from the Indian consulate” to reject a Sikh candidate during a nomination battle in May 2017.
According to the Globe and Mail Investigation, Brown was under “pressure” from the Indian consulate in Toronto to reject the candidacy of Vikram Singh because of the consulate’s allegations against his father.
At the time, Brown asked a top Ontario Progressive Conservative Party donor, a man named Gursharan (Bobby) Sidhu, to give $5,000 to the then-leader’s girlfriend on the same day he agreed to let the supporter’s candidate (Vikram Singh) run in a controversial nomination race, according to newly unsealed court documents.
The unsealed documents note that Brown, who according to DESIBUZZCanada sources in India met with senior Indian government officials in Delhi who had allegedly pledged to finance his election campaign just before he returned to Canada and was ousted from the Ontario PC party following sexual assault allegations brought against Brown, was under “pressure” from the Indian consulate to reject the candidate (Vikram Singh), an individual whose father had alleged ties to Sikh extremism, the documents say.
But Brown, who is now the mayor of Brampton, signed off on the candidacy on the same day that the donor provided $5,000 to his girlfriend and $2,000 to an unidentified individual for PC Party campaign work. The money, described as covering their salaries, was not declared as a political donation.
Singh went on to lose the nomination vote in a process that was “riddled with problems” and allegations of fraud.
Last week, the WSO wrote to Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale with respect to concerns over the interference of Indian interests in Canada and within the Sikh community. The Sikh community has long been aware of Indian intelligence activities in Canada including interference in community issues, intimidation and coercion.
The WSO expressed concerns that Canada and the Sikh community more specifically could be targeted by Indian interests during the upcoming federal elections.
WSO President Mukhbir Singh said, “the report in today’s Globe & Mail in which it was revealed that the then leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative was under ‘pressure’ from the Indian consulate in Toronto to reject a Sikh candidate is absolutely shocking. A foreign government has no business telling political parties in Canada who they should run as candidates. We have expressed fears that there is a history of Indian interference and intimidation in Canada, often targeted at the Sikh community, which may be exacerbated during the upcoming federal elections. Today’s reports would seem to validate those fears. We expect the Canadian government to take the necessary steps to ensure that Canada is free from foreign interference.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) is a non-profit organization with a mandate to promote and protect the interests of Canadian Sikhs, as well as to promote and advocate for the protection of human rights for all individuals, irrespective of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, and social and economic status.
