TORONTO: The Canadian government has said the circulation of an online video in which Hindu Canadians are told to leave the country is offensive and hateful, asserting that acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear have no place in Canada.
The video was circulated amid escalating tensions between India and Canada following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's explosive allegations of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on his country's soil on June 18 in British Columbia.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
India has angrily rejected Turdeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
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Public Safety Canada, the department responsible for matters of public safety, emergency management, national security, and emergency preparedness, said the circulation of the video is offensive and hateful and is an affront to all Canadians and "the values we hold dearly".
"There is no place in Canada for hate," it said on Thursday night in a post on X.
"Acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear have no place in this country and only serve to divide us.We urge all Canadians to respect one another and follow the rule of law. Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities," it added.
1/2 : There is no place in Canada for hate. The circulation of an online video in which Hindu Canadians are told to leave Canada is offensive and hateful, and is an affront to all Canadians and the values we hold dearly.
— Public Safety Canada (@Safety_Canada) September 22, 2023Indo-Canadian lawmaker Chandra Arya from Prime Minister Trudeau's party has earlier expressed dismay at the 'glorification of terrorism' and hate crime targeting Hindus in this country in the name of 'freedom of expression' in Canada.
"A few days back Khalistan movement leader in Canada and the president of Sikhs for Justice which organises the so-called referendum Gurpatwant Singh Pannun attacked Hindu Canadians asking us to leave Canada and go back to India," Arya, a member of the Liberal Party of Canada, said.
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"I have heard from many Hindu-Canadians who are fearful after this targeted attack. I urge Hindu-Canadians to stay calm but vigilant. Please report any incident of Hinduphobia to your local law enforcement agencies," the Indo-Canadian MP posted on X.
The Khalistan movement leader is trying to provoke Hindu Canadians to react and divide the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada, Arya said.
Canada's public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc said all Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities.
"All Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities. The circulation of an online hate video targeting Hindu Canadians runs contrary to the values we hold dear as Canadians. There is no place for acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear," he posted on his official X account.
Emergency preparedness minister Harjit Sajjan in a post on X said: "To Hindu Canadians and Indians from all backgrounds: Anyone who says you do not deserve to be safe & welcomed in your home does not embody the values of freedom and kindness we hold dear as Canadians. Do not let others delegitimise or question your place and love for Canada."
