Language on Sikh extremism in report will be reviewed, Goodale says

OTTAWA — A lawyer representing one of Canada’s largest Sikh organizations says the federal government needs to either prove that there is a threat from Sikh extremist groups in Canada or delete a section in a recent report alleging there is.

Sikh Canadians were outraged this week when the annual report from the public-safety ministry documenting terrorist threats to Canada included a section on Sikh extremism for the first time.

Liberal MP Randeep Sarai, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and the World Sikh Organization are all among the voices demanding an explanation, saying there is nothing in the report documenting actual evidence that Sikh extremism is a problem.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says he has asked his officials to review the language used in the report to ensure there is nothing in it maligning any particular religion or group.

But Balpreet Singh, the lawyer for the World Sikh Organization of Canada, says reviewing language isn’t good enough.

Singh says the only difference between last year, when the report didn’t mention Sikh extremism, and this year, is that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a disastrous trip to India and he feels Canada is trying to appease India by including this section in the report.

The Canadian Press