Canadian opposition leader cancels Diwali event, criticized for ‘discriminatory act’

Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has canceled Diwali celebrations, which were supposed to take place on Parliament Hill, due to the ongoing diplomatic row with India.

The Overseas Friends of India Canada (OFIC), the event’s organizer, received no explanation for the cancellation of the Diwali celebration, which was originally scheduled to be hosted by Conservative MP Todd Doherty on October 30.

Ties between India and Canada then reached an all-time low Ottawa alleged that Indian diplomats were involved in gathering information and the use of criminal gangs to attack members of the pro-Khalistan movement. India recalled its top envoy to Ottawa and six Canadian diplomats expelled from the country.

OFIC President Shiv Bhasker wrote a letter to Pierre Poilievre, expressing his dissatisfaction with the decision.

In a letter to Pierre Poilievre, Bhasker wrote that several political leaders who had attended the event in previous years suddenly withdrew this year, leaving the community feeling “betrayed and unjustly singled out.”

OFIC president has called on Pierre Poilievre to apologize and condemned what he described as an “insensitive and discriminatory act.” He stressed that while tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa are serious, they should not lead to unfair treatment of Canadians of Indian descent, who have no ties to the Indian government.

During the Diwali celebration in November 2023, Poilievre and India’s then High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, were among those who addressed the gathering, attended by around 540 guests.

“This is not just about a canceled Diwali event or an event where the politicians renege on their promise to attend; it’s about a much deeper and more insidious problem. Racism and discrimination are flourishing in Canada, and this latest development has exposed the systemic biases that still persist,” Bhasker wrote.

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