Hogue Commission an important first step but falls short of combating Indian violence in Canada

੧੫ ਮਾਘ, ਨਾਨਕਸ਼ਾਹੀ ੫੫੬

Hogue Commission an important first step but falls short of combating Indian violence in Canada

(Ottawa, ON: 15 Maagh, Nanakshahi 556 | January 28, 2025 CE) - The recent findings of Canada's Foreign Interference Commission have unequivocally confirmed the pervasive and corrosive threats posed by the Government of India to Canadian electoral processes, public institutions, and the Sikh community in particular. Despite the validation of the community's lived experiences over four decades however, the limited scope of the Hogue commission's terms of reference leave many questions unanswered. Sikhs across the country are calling for a fresh inquiry to examine the circumstances leading to Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijar's assassination and any other violent activity linked to agents of the Government of India.

For years, India has misused its diplomatic resources to manipulate Canadian policy and criminalize political advocacy for an independent Sikh homeland, Khalistan. The findings confirm these experiences. The Final Report outlines how India has engaged in sophisticated, multifaceted campaigns of foreign interference, including direct electoral interference targeting all levels of government and all stages, from nominations, general elections to leadership races, as well as sophisticated modes of information manipulation.

In particular, Commissioner Hogue notes that India has tried to pressure Canada to go beyond the parameters of Canadian law to counter Sikh activists advocating for an independent Khalistan and ultimately manipulate Canadian policy to align with India's interests in this regard. She further notes that the RCMP's October 2024 revelations about India's increasingly aggressive and violent actions against the Sikh community were consistent with the classified evidence she reviewed.

Unfortunately however, Justice Hogue herself acknowledges that the Terms of Reference set by the government did not allow for an in-depth study of this transnational repression, and as a result, "likely only scratched the surface of this phenomenon." She reiterates that this issue was beyond her mandate to assess electoral interference but urges the government to investigate and develop a comprehensive strategy to address transnational repression as "any effective response to foreign interference must consider the realities of transnational repression in Canada." While the report acknowledges that India is the second most prominent threat actor with regards to electoral interference, it has no rival when it comes to the violence unleashed against communities in Canada.

Bhai Moninder Singh, spokesperson of the Sikh Federation (Canada), commented that "despite all of the developments over the past year, Sikhs across the country continue to face ongoing threats to their lives and receive direct warnings from security agencies. The extreme level of violence unleashed by the Government of India and its agents is unparalleled in Canadian history. The Government of India has and continues to target Canadian institutions and the Sikh community in this country using a broad range of tactics, and the Final Report notes that India will likely continue these activities in the future as well. Beyond bureaucratic reforms and security assessments, the Government of Canada must demonstrate the political will to recognize India's actions as those of a hostile state and hold all officials responsible for the violence to account.

"Legal counsel for Sikh Federation (Canada) and a coalition of Sikh organizations represented at the Commission, Prabjot Singh, added: "it must be unequivocally stated that Canada's security and intelligence community failed to detect the extent of India's activities until after the assassination of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pillar of the Sikh community, despite specific concerns being communicated to the government about potential assassinations in the summer of 2022. The lack of public transparency and decisive action to combat Indian foreign interference by successive governments until after it was already too late appears largely related to the fact that foreign policy considerations were given greater weight by Canadian decision-makers, over long-term domestic harms on a number of occasions."

As a result of these shortcomings, Sikhs across the country are calling on the Government of Canada to commit to establishing a public inquiry at the earliest possible time to review the circumstances leading to Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijar's assassination and any other violent or criminal activity linked to agents of the Government of India. This independent inquiry must be able to examine and publicly disclose the full range of threats posed by Indian foreign interference and transnational repression in Canada, as well as assess the failure of Canadian security and intelligence agencies to stop the murder and subsequent violence despite prior knowledge of an active threat posed by India.

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