Canada has no place for acts of aggression, hate, intimidation or incitement of fear, its government said on Friday, amid circulation of videos on social media in which Hindu Canadians are being told “to leave” the country.
“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,” the Public Safety Canada, the department responsible for matters of public safety, emergency management, national security, and emergency preparedness, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“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.
The message came in the backdrop of a video, that was widely shared on X, which purportedly shows Hindus in Canada being asked to “go to India” and subjected to other controversial remarks.
Tensions between India and Canada flared following allegations by Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada on June 18 in the province of British Columbia.
Nijjar was designated as a terrorist by India in 2020.
India outrightly rejected claims by Trudeau saying that the allegations are “absurd” and “motivated”.
Meanwhile, Canadian MP Chandra Arya from Trudeau’s Liberal Party on Thursday criticised the government over the “glorification of terrorism” and “permitting hate crimes targeting Hindus” in the name of “freedom of speech and expression”. He also asked the Hindu community in the country to “remain vigilant”.
According to the latest census data, Indians account for 18.6 per cent of the total number of people who immigrated to the country between 2016 and 2021. Around 2.1% of its population is Sikhs while Hindus make up 2.3% of the population.