Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

When Canada's 'tolerance and diversity' clashes with Sikh 'radicalism'

‘Are we so woke ... that we actually ignore someone preaching violence, right in our midst?’ asks former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Canadian diplomacy just did an about-face with India.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.

Unlimited online access to National Post.

National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.

Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Support local journalism.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.

Unlimited online access to National Post.

National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.

Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Support local journalism.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.

Enjoy additional articles per month.

Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments

Enjoy additional articles per month

Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

At the beginning of the week, Mark Carney signed off on “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” a partnership agreement with his Indian counterpart, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

When Canada's 'tolerance and diversity' clashes with Sikh 'radicalism' Back to video

The diplomatic row between the countries has given way to the realpolitik of global conflict; the agreement is packed with hifalutin language and aspirational blather. You wouldn’t know there had been a serious breakdown prior to Carney’s visit.

“Yeah, it’s two different worlds,” says 79-year-old Ujjal Dosanjh, a Sikh from India who emigrated to Canada in 1968 and later became B.C. premier and a federal cabinet minister.

This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)

There was an error, please provide a valid email address.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.

“But the fact is,” he adds, “India is a civilizational country, right? It’s an ancient civilization, just like Iran.” Indians, when they talk to each other, even the most technically educated people, he says with a grin, they speak in a philosophical way. Modi, he says, infuses all the speeches he delivers with Indian philosophy.

Carney is a money guy, I observe, with a more transactional tone. Ottawa’s talking points emphasize the aspiration to more than double two-way trade with India, to $70 billion, by 2030. A landmark $2.6-billion deal signed by Saskatoon-based Cameco, to deliver uranium to India, was announced as part of a wider energy partnership that contemplates liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), oil and hydrogen exports to India.

In an earlier conversation, in 2024, Ujjal made it clear to me he was no fan of Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, bluntly declaring, “Trudeau, sociologically and politically, is an idiot.” In our tete-de-tete this week, Ujjal is upbeat, effusive even, about former banker Carney.

India is a logical place for Canada to engage, Ujjal reports: “In the next couple of years, it’s going to be the third largest economy in the world … It has demand for energy, for gas, for oil. It has need for uranium, because they want to have civilian nuclear energy, because they need lots of electricity.

Donna Kennedy-Glans: Elon Musk's space race with China

Donna Kennedy-Glans: Ottawa versus Danielle Smith, but not vice-versa

Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

“It is also a place where we can cooperate on rare earth minerals, because India would have the capacity to process them. India has the capacity to manufacture, because it has labour force, it has skills, and perhaps even defence manufacturing that we actually should start doing our own as Canadians.

“Europe doesn’t have the manufacturing capacity,” he elaborates, “they don’t have the huge army of men and women who want to work. So India has it.

“If it’s a democracy, perhaps flawed,” he asks, “why not have joint ventures with them where they can manufacture our defensive equipment?”

What Ujjal says makes sense. My only quibble is Ottawa’s foot-dragging on pipeline construction needed to deliver oil and gas to India, a country that might now be starved for energy with the Strait of Hormuz blocked and Russian oil officially off-limits.

This hockey team has lost every single one of its 48 games this season. Its last shot at a win is this weekend News

This hockey team has lost every single one of its 48 games this season. Its last shot at a win is this weekend

Inside the Crown's teetering case against billionaire Frank Stronach at Toronto rape trial Toronto

Inside the Crown's teetering case against billionaire Frank Stronach at Toronto rape trial

Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

‘Bullets are flying': Two more Toronto-area synagogues hit by gunfire Canada

‘Bullets are flying': Two more Toronto-area synagogues hit by gunfire

Subscriber only. Barbara Kay: How to defeat Palestinianism Subscriber only NP Comment

Subscriber only. Barbara Kay: How to defeat Palestinianism

Matthew Taub: Three synagogues hit by bullets. So much for 'antisemitism has no place here' NP Comment

Matthew Taub: Three synagogues hit by bullets. So much for 'antisemitism has no place here'

Neither of us can resist speculating on where India will access oil in the near term; some hint Trump is encouraging Modi to look at Venezuelan crude while others predict India’s return to Russian oil.

But really, who knows? “You have to feed your people,” Ujjal concludes, “And if you are the leader of 1.4 billion people, you can’t kowtow to anyone. You just have to feed them.”

There’s a solid foundation of pragmatism under all this lofty rhetoric, I chuckle, stepping down from my pipeline soapbox. “I’m always on my soapbox,” Ujjal counters. “I don’t know why, though. I’m no longer interested in getting elected, but I just can’t resist saying things because it bothers me we’ve not done a very good job of protecting and promoting Canada as we should have.”

This is exactly why I want to speak to this man. He’s a Sikh who openly condemns extremist activism — on Canadian soil — for a separate Sikh homeland in Punjab, India, to be called Khalistan. And while he says he detests India’s alleged interference in Canada, he also suggests pro-Khalistani activism in Canada is the biggest source of foreign interference in the internal affairs of India.

“It’s nice for (pro-Khalistanis in Canada) to pretend they are fighting for sovereignty in a peaceful, non-violent fashion,” he asserts, but it’s not the case. “If we’re going to allow that kind of radicalism, to breed within some temples in this country, I would be afraid for our future in this country,” he continues.

“It’s not going to hurt India,” he adds, “India is too big for it be hurt by a tiny fringe in Canada or the U.S.”

“Are we so woke? Are we so taken by this so-called tolerance and diversity … that we actually ignore someone preaching violence, right in our midst?” he asks.

His greatest fear? “There is a generation of youngsters being trained inside some of these temple facilities, to pick up arms in the name of Khalistan.”

One day after we talk, Nancy Grewal — a 45-year-old social media influencer of Punjabi origin who spoke out against Khalistani extremism in Canada — was found stabbed to death in her Windsor, Ont., home. Police call this an isolated incident, but Ujjal sees it differently: “The Canadian politicians and the Canadian police have turned absolutely a blind eye to this; it’s like they’ve condoned it.”

Diplomatic tensions between India and Canada — culminating in accusations of India’s involvement in the 2023 Surrey, B.C., murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani advocate — now appear to have taken a back seat to trade. “Mr. Nijjar’s alleged assassins are going to be tried soon,” Ujjal says, and he’s comfortable with Carney treating the past diplomatic rupture as compartmentalized and largely resolved.

Canada’s clampdown on international students hit applicants from India hard, and in what looks to be a more strategic approach, the partnership agreement includes a long list of education and research alliances. Ujjal is good with this approach, as long as public education in Canada isn’t being weakened for Canadian students.

“Universities and colleges were becoming addicted to this money that was coming from foreign countries, largely India, China too,” he complains, “and provincial governments were off the hook in providing resources to post-secondary education.”

Ujjal is pleased with Carney’s new approach to Canada-India relations — and to India’s response.

“I think the world knows that India is generally not going to take sides,” he says. “But also, it’s not going to be dictated to by another country in terms of its foreign policy.”

Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Lose an hour, not your sleep: The products that actually help Tips on maintaining your sleep schedule during time changes 1 day ago Sleep

Lose an hour, not your sleep: The products that actually help

Tips on maintaining your sleep schedule during time changes

Top carpet cleaners that can handle tough messes Whether you have kids or pets, find options for every use and budget 1 day ago Home Living

Top carpet cleaners that can handle tough messes

Whether you have kids or pets, find options for every use and budget

The best online deals in the Canadian retail space right now Cozy Earth, Saje and Explore Hardware, to name a few 2 days ago Deals

The best online deals in the Canadian retail space right now

Cozy Earth, Saje and Explore Hardware, to name a few

Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

Here's where to buy official 2026 World Cup merch in Metro Vancouver No matter who you're cheering for, here's where you can find World Cup merch in Metro Vancouver for any budget with Video 2 days ago News

Here's where to buy official 2026 World Cup merch in Metro Vancouver

No matter who you're cheering for, here's where you can find World Cup merch in Metro Vancouver for any budget

NARS releases matte take on a fan-favourite foundation Expert tips to apply a matte formula from a Canadian pro 2 days ago Fashion & Beauty

NARS releases matte take on a fan-favourite foundation

Expert tips to apply a matte formula from a Canadian pro

© National Post