Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during an event organized on the occasion of Khalsa Day celebrations in Toronto on Sunday.

The latest sloganeering comes amid strained diplomatic relations between India and Canada.

Advertisement

The slogans were heard in the presence of Trudeau as well as opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. Slogans of “Khalistan Zindabad” were heard at the event in which NDP (New Democratic Party) leader Jagmeet Singh and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow were also present.

As Trudeau was about to take the stage for his address to mark Khalsa Day, the chants were heard getting louder till he arrived and commenced his speech in the video released by Canada-based CPAC TV.

A similar instance also occurred when Poilievre walked up to the stage to begin his address.

Even as Trudeau walked up to address the Sikh community, pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by the crowd. Trudeau in a staunch assurance to the Sikh Community in the country has said that the government is always there to protect their rights and freedoms at all costs.

He said diversity is one of Canada’s greatest strengths, and the country is strong not in spite of the differences, but because of those differences.

“One of Canada’s greatest strengths is its diversity. We are strong not in spite of our differences, but because of our differences; but even as we look at these differences, we have to remember, and get reminded on days such as this, and every day, that Sikh values are Canadian values…” Trudeau said during the Khalsa Day celebrations in Toronto.

“To the nearly 8,00,000 Canadians of Sikh heritage across this country, we will always be there to protect your rights and your freedoms, and we will always defend your community against hatred and discrimination,” he asserted.

The Canadian PM also noted that the country is enhancing the security and infrastructure programmes by “adding more security at community centres and places of worship, including Gurdwaras”.

“Your right to practice your religion freely, and without intimidation is exactly that. A fundamental right guaranteed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that we will always stand up and defend you for,” Trudeau assured the Sikh community in his Khalsa Day address.

Thousands of people flocked to downtown Toronto on Sunday for one of the biggest yearly gatherings in the city.

According to the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwaras Council (OSGC), Vaisakhi, also called Khalsa Day, commemorates the founding of the Sikh community in 1699 as well as the Sikh New Year.

The group has been organizing an annual parade down Lake Shore Boulevard for many years; the council claims that it is the third-largest parade in the nation and that it regularly draws thousands of spectators, according to CBC News.

It was notably the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar that sparked a row between India and Canada.

Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on the evening of June 18, 2023.

The video of his killing that reportedly surfaced in March recently, showed Nijjar being shot by armed men in what has been described as a ‘contract killing’.

The killing led to accusations from Trudeau that the Government of India had a hand in the killing — a claim that was denied by India and led to the deterioration of diplomatic ties between Canada and India.