In response to rising concerns from the Hindu community, Canada’s Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre issued a clarification on Wednesday regarding the status of the Diwali celebration at Parliament Hill.
Reports had circulated that the event was canceled, prompting disappointment among community leaders who viewed this as a sign of exclusion during a sensitive period marked by strained Canada-India relations.
“To be clear, any suggestion that Mr. Poilievre has cancelled this event is patently false. This event has always been hosted by a member of the Conservative Caucus, this year being MP Doherty, and has never been organized by the Leader of the Opposition or his office. While there have been changes to the location and timing, MP Doherty will still be hosting an event to celebrate Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas in Ottawa with members of the South Asian community and the Conservative Caucus,” the statement read.
“Mr. Poilievre looks forward to celebrating these important cultural and religious occasions with Canadians in the coming days,” it added.
This clarification comes on the heels of a heartfelt open letter from Shiv Bhasker, president of the Ontario Federation of Indo-Canadian Associations (OFIC), who expressed disappointment over the perceived withdrawal of political support for the Diwali event. Bhasker articulated the community’s feelings of alienation, stating, “The failure of the politicians to attend this important cultural event… sends a clear message to Indo-Canadians: that we are being viewed not as fellow Canadians but as outsiders.”
“It is with extreme disappointment and sadness that I am writing this letter to you [Pierre Poilievre] to voice our dismay at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition cancelling the 24th Diwali celebration on Parliament Hill. The failure of the politicians to attend this important cultural event, particularly at such a delicate time, sends a clear message to Indo-Canadians: that we are being viewed not as fellow Canadians but as outsiders who are somehow linked to the political actions of a country many of us have ancestral ties to but no direct connection with. This event was meant to be a joyous occasion to honor Diwali. Yet, the sudden withdrawal of political leaders has left us feeling betrayed and unjustly singled out.”
The incident comes in wake of heightened diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, particularly following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that India was involved in the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar earlier this year. This situation has escalated to the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats from India and reciprocal diplomatic moves from the Indian side, which have been labeled as “baseless” by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
