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While Singh eventually issued a statement clearly condemning terrorism and clarifying somewhat his position on Khalistan succession, some observers consider he did this primarily for reasons of political expediency and that his earlier statements cannot easily be swept under the carpet.

In the circumstances, it is time for Canadians, including members of the Sikh community, to reflect on whether the inordinate influence the latter now enjoy is good for democracy, is good for the Liberal and NDP parties in the longer term and, indeed, for Sikhs themselves. This influence may provide benefits at election time for parties and individual candidates but may well have negative repercussions it terms of resentment and reaction from other ethnic groups as well as the public at large.

An open and frank discussion of this issue will not be easy. As Ujjal Dosanjh, arguably the most respected Canadian politician of Sikh background has put it, “it seems some of us have so thoroughly shamed the white men into complete submission regarding our misplaced belief that Canada has no core identity or core values; so much so that even our Prime Minister won’t defend what was so dear to his own father — what he had fought so hard for. On matters of race, religion, culture and national identity of Canada the white men are reduced to either silence or non sequiturs.”

Correcting the current anomaly in political representation and influence could also involve a review of internal party voting rules. While voting in a federal election requires Canadian citizenship, party members can nevertheless vote for delegates to a leadership convention as well as the selection of a candidate for election in a constituency and thereby influence policy without having to be a citizen. Such a situation does not make sense and full voting rights for party members should be restricted to those who are Canadian citizens.