Brampton's Sikh community remains upset over a lack of clarity on why "Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism" was included as one of five current threats in the 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada.

On Sunday, April 7, more than 400 people gathered at Brampton city hall to voice their displeasure during a town hall hosted by the World Sikh Organization of Canada, in partnership with the Ontario Sikh and Gurdwaras Council and Ontario Gurdwaras Committee.

“It’s not just inadequate, it’s an insult and a slap in the face,” federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said in regard to the government’s response to letters and messages addressing the Sikh community’s concerns. “It does not rectify the situation at all.”

A paragraph on Sikh extremism as a threat was included in the 2018 Public Safety Report despite no particular details or evidence of a rise in Sikh extremism in Canada, critics of the report noted.

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It said the 1985 Air India bombing by Khalistani terrorists remains the deadliest terrorist plot ever launched in Canada, but many in attendance Sunday believed the broader Sikh population shouldn’t be painted with the almost 35-year-old brush this report uses to single out terrorist threats existing in Canada today.

During his remarks, Singh emphasized his two demands to the government: remove references in the report to Sikhs and Muslims until they can come up with evidence and have Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale appear before a committee to say why Sikh extremism was included in the report.

On Sunday, Goodale issued a statement, explaining how a review of the language used to describe extremism was undertaken and is ongoing.

The statement also said an addendum was added to the Dec. 14 report, acknowledging “Extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India,” should be considered in lieu of the term Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada says 60 Members of Parliament were invited to participate in Sunday’s town hall, but only three showed up, including Brampton North MP Ruby Sahota, Brampton East MP Raj Grewal and Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan MP Garnett Genuis.

Sahota, the lone Liberal MP in attendance, explained more than once how the report was written by a number of independent intelligence agencies and is not considered a political document.