While the media was agog some weeks ago about immediate steps that the government of Canada may take up to undo the damage done to the reputation of the Sikh community in general and Sikh Canadians in particular by the Public Safety Canada Report of 2018; there has been no official action in this regard.

With the World Sikh Organisation, representatives of the Sikh community and Canadian Gurdwaras met with Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale and impressed upon him the distress caused to the Sikhs by the Public Safety Canada Report of 2018 which included for the first time,  “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” in Public Safety Canada’s 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada, without providing any details whatsoever to prove the wild allegations.

The report has been widely criticized for using language that unfairly stigmatizes entire religious communities. The inclusion of “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” is of deep concern as the Report does not point to any current incident of violence or terrorism associated with the Sikh community in Canada.

The WSO press statement confirmed that Minister Goodale heard the concerns of the Sikh community and expressed his intention to address the concerns in an appropriate manner.  “We look forward to an ongoing dialogue and timely resolution of this matter.” said WSO counsel Balpreet Singh.