The Hindu-Awakening in Canada

It is time for Hindus and Sikhs to unite against Khalistani extremism

In Ms. Anita Anand, the new government of Canada may have a Hindu foreign minister, but it needs to a lot more for placating the Hindus who have been relentlessly belittled by the ruling Liberal party as well as the opposition Conservative party, just to garner the votes of the Khalistanis, who are perceived without any any hard evidence that they represent the 0.9 million Sikhs in Canada.

There are reportedly 1.9 million people of Indian origin in Canada.

It is against this background that Chandra Arya, former member of parliament for Nepean, Ottawa, has launched the Hindu Public Affairs Council of Canada (HPAC).

Arya, originally from Karnataka in India, served in the Canadian parliament for over nine years. He was removed as the Liberal candidate for Nepean shortly before the 2023 elections and replaced by Mark Carney, now the Prime Minister.

The Liberal Party’s decision followed claims about his alleged ties to the Indian government led by Narendra Modi. But the real reason was his criticism of the growing Khalistani extremism in the Country on several occasions.

He was removed as the Liberal candidate for the district shortly before the election campaign began in March.

Mr. Arya announced on social media last week that he has set up the Hindu Public Affairs Council of Canada, which bills itself as “unapologetically Hindu” and “resolutely Canadian” but also necessary at this time to defend a community he describes as under attack.

The former MP in particular singled out Khalistan supporters – a separatist movement among some Sikh adherents who advocate for carving an independent homeland out of India – as a concern. The Indian government strongly opposes the Khalistan movement, which has followers in Canada.

“In an era when anti-Hindu and Khalistani forces are emboldened and our community is under siege, Canada HPAC rises with resolve,” Mr. Arya said in a post on Facebook and X. “We will not stay silent. We will not back down.”

Asked in an interview why he’s forming an association to represent a specific religion, Mr. Arya said that other faiths have their own lobby groups, including the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs or the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

He noted that not all Hindus in Canada trace their roots back to India – they come from countries all over the world – but for Hindus, he said India remains important. “For us, India is our holy land,” Mr. Arya said.

As the Canadian leading paper , The Globe and Mail, reported in March, the Liberal Party revoked Mr. Arya‘s bid to run for the party leadership and his nomination in his own Ottawa riding over alleged foreign-interference concerns involving India.

Mr. Arya said he will not seek any remedy over this. “I don’t have time for that political drama theatre.” He said of his removal: “They kicked me out because I spoke very publicly, very honestly, very bluntly about Hindu Canadians and against Khalistani extremists.”

He said he believes India-Canada ties, badly damaged after former prime minister Justin Trudeau, could be repaired under the new Prime Minister, Mr. Carney.

In 2023, Mr. Trudeau announced Canada had credible intelligence that “agents of the government of India” carried out the fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia. India has denied any role in this and a diplomatic row ensued.

“Prime Minister Carney is in a good position to turn the page,” Mr. Arya said. He said differences will persist “but at the same time, the economic relations, the trade relations, the investment relations, and people-to-people relations can be repaired.”

He said good relations with India would benefit “Canadian geopolitical and security interests.”

Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the World Sikh Organization, said he is concerned about Mr. Arya‘s new group, saying “it appears to be echoing government of India disinformation” about the Sikh community and promoting the “false narrative” that all advocacy for Khalistan is inherently extremist.

“At a time when Sikh advocates for Khalistan are facing violence from Indian authorities, the creation of such an organization is alarming,” he said.

Mr. Singh noted that Mr. Arya was disqualified not only from the Liberal leadership race but from running again as an MP over allegations of foreign interference. “Given this context, it is crucial that his activities and those of the Canada HPAC be closely monitored to ensure they are not acting as proxies for the Government of India,” he added.

Mr. Arya said his group will only be funded by individual donations. “It is not going to be a charitable institution. So it has to be funded by ordinary Hindu Canadians across the country, small amounts of 20 bucks, 40 bucks a month. That is what I’m seeking.”

Asked if he would accept funding from the Indian government or Indian-based donors, he indicated he would not. “Just because I met Prime Minister Modi once, people think I am very well connected in India,” he said. “I am not.”

Responding to Mr. Singh’s comments, Mr. Arya said in an e-mail he won’t be silenced.

“In Canada, whenever someone publicly raises concerns on behalf of Hindu-Canadians, anti-Hindu and Khalistani groups attempt to silence them by labelling them as ‘Indian agents’ or ‘Modi agents’ and falsely framing it as foreign interference,” he said. “This is a deliberate tactic to delegitimize and intimidate our voices.”

Mr. Arya said in a separate statement to The Globe that other communities such as Jewish-Canadians, Sikh-Canadians, Pakistani-Canadians, and Ukrainian-Canadians are “commendably well-organized and significantly represented in Parliament, often at levels disproportionately higher than their population share.” Hindu-Canadians, by contrast, he said, lack a similar political presence, institutional infrastructure and public advocacy.

He said that has consequences, including “that federal political parties have, in some instances, pandered to anti-Hindu and Khalistani extremist elements, a deeply troubling trend that demands public scrutiny and institutional counterbalance.”