Election candidates respond to Sikh community questions

Earlier this month we shared a sample of questions put out by Canadian Sikh community figure and Mukh Sevadaar (Head selfless volunteer) of Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar Surrey BC Moninder Singh, related to Canada’s Sikh community to ask political candidates pushing for votes in the run-up to the Canadian general election taking place this coming week. Read the article here.

Below we share links to answers given from 11 MP candidates, as well as a summary from Moninder Singh on his thoughts on the responses, including a Q&A we conducted.

Read the candidate responses by clicking here.

The objective of the original document was to bring forth important and pressing panthic issues which are often not addressed by aspiring political candidates both from and outside the Sikh community. It is the hope of the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council (BCGC) and Ontario Gurdwaras Committee (OGC) that Gurdwara Sahib’s across the country will utilize these documents in their engagement of political candidates. If any political candidate is seeking a Gurdwara stage as a platform to engage Sikh sangat, the questions contained within this document should be addressed by them as a bare minimum.

The original document and set of questions was sent to 47 candidates in constituencies across Canada which have significant Sikh populations. We have received 11 responses which included: 4 incumbent Members of Parliament (including one sitting Federal Minister) and 7 candidates from various political parties. The response rate to our questions was 23.4%, a disappointing representation from those vying to enter public service as our political representatives.

Despite a poor response rate, this process was valuable as it elicited strong responses from many candidates on topics that are not often addressed or presented in the mainstream discourse. We will continue this exercise in future dialogue and discourse at the municipal, provincial and federal levels to ensure accountability amongst candidates standing for public office.

The questions focused on 5 topics that Sikhs across Canada consider to highly relevant for life in Canada and impacting the greater Sikh Panth internationally and in Punjab:

• Bill 21
• 2018 Terrorism Threat Report
• Foreign Interference (India)
• Self-Determination
• Reconciliation & Indigenous Sovereignty

We understand other local issues are also very important. Issues such as the opiate epidemic, crime & gang violence, affordability & housing, access to education & healthcare are all important. However, we concluded that many of these issues are regularly discussed in mainstream debates and discussions. Thus, the five topic areas we decided to focus on were in large part determined by the absence of attention they receive, yet extremely worthy of discussion and further elaboration.

The remainder of this document are the verbatim responses that we received from political candidates. Our purpose was to ensure that those vying for political office would be accountable before the election and be willing to engage in a dialogue around issues that are often ignored or swept aside. We fully understand that not always will views align on topics that are deemed sensitive in nature, but we respect the fact that 11 political candidates responded to our request and find it insulting that 36 political candidates did not have the courtesy to even respond to our questions.

For those in the Sikh community, this is a small step in helping us see a pattern of accountability and respect that must be demanded from those in political office and we ask you to consider this document as you vote in this 2019 federal election in Canada.

Sikh PA: Are you satisfied with the responses you received?

Moninder Singh: “Actually, we are very disappointed with those political candidates that chose to ignore our questions and instead chose to be silent on important social justice and human rights issues that impact Sikhs in Canada and beyond. In many responses we saw hesitation and the use of politically correct language that didn’t allow many of the questions to be answered below the surface level. At a minimum, there is a level of respect for the candidates that took the time to answer our questions. Even though sometimes our views do not align, engaging us and not ignoring issues we feel are important is an important step in the political spectrum.

Sikh PA: Are there any candidates that stood out in their responses?

Moninder Singh: “I would have to say Annie Ohana who is an NDP candidate from Fleetwood-Port Kells in Surrey, BC was by far the most responsive in terms of both length and depth. Not only did Annie answer the 5 questions that we asked for, she took the time to further expand on her entire platform and gave a broad range of answers on a broad range of topics. While our organizations do not support any particular party or candidate, Annie provided answers that show a deep knowledge of social justice issues and point to her as someone who not only speaks the words, but lives and breathes social justice through action.”

Sikh PA: Why have Gurdwaras engaged in the electoral process in Canada in this fashion this time around?

Moninder Singh: “Often we see either “Presidents” at Gurdwaras or those on committees engaging in a very individual and personal type of politics that tends to benefit their individual position. As youth, this has been disturbing and hurtful to watch. To watch those who are deemed as caretakers and sewadars of our dharmik kendhars participate in such disgusting obedience to those in power or vying for power, it was heart-breaking. We see this process as empowering. Where the Guru Khalsa Panth doesn’t have to bend the knee or lower their gaze when addressing a political system built on the genocide of indigenous peoples. We see this now as an opportunity to reclaim power that belongs to the people and leverage that power to hold political candidates responsible in the public forum and I think to a degree, we have been successful and we will continue to build on this success in future campaigns as well.

Sikh PA: Why did you choose these 5 areas of questioning when there are so many other issues that could have been addressed?

Moninder Singh: “We made a statement in both reports that we acknowledge that the 5 subject areas we have chosen may not be reflective as the most important by every Sikh in the country, and nor do we pretend to represent the entire Sikh diaspora community in Canada. However, the 5 subject areas chosen are those that most other forums such as debates, questionnaires, live shows, etc. fail to capture or choose to ignore. We have used language in our documents that speaks to the sovereignty of the Guru Khalsa Panth in the form of Raj and Khalistan. These terms were purposely used as they have been continuously maligned and re-defined by Indian propaganda and we needed to take them back and define them as rightfully ours. When we have political candidates from all political parties, sitting Members of Parliament, and a sitting Minister answering questions sent to them by Gurdwaras using words like Khalistan and Genocide, it sends a message that we don’t have to muzzle ourselves or pick and choose words in the political spectrum. If anything, Gurdwaras and Sikh organizations have to make a deeper and more concise effort to further utilize the terms Khalistan and Genocide in an effort to reclaim a lineage and history built on the blood of tens of thousands of our people.”

Sikh PA: Where do you see this process going in the future?

Moninder Singh: “I think we have laid a foundation stone this time around as to how Sikh youth can engage in western politics and not co-opt themselves into having to stand with a certain party in order to participate. Gurdwaras should see the immense responsibility they carry and with that comes power, but they must heed to the responsibility first. That responsibility is to the Guru Granth-Guru Panth and to sangat that is samarpat to only the Guru Granth and Guru Panth. I feel as though we are moving towards Sikh politics in Canada shifting from traditional “middlemen” claiming power in these political circles by endorsing themselves as representatives of thousands to sincere leadership in Gurdwaras and Sikh organizations placing the power back into the hands of the people. This path is a treacherous one as those who have accepted their role at the feet of the colonizer will not be eager to see their power taken away, but the Guru Khalsa Panth has never been one to back away from a challenge…our resistance is our victory regardless of the duniyavi (worldly) outcome.