Nijjar allegation: How mayors with large Sikh populations are reacting

Canada has the largest Sikh population outside of India and more than half life in four cities - Brampton, Surrey, Calgary and Edmonton.

For hundreds of thousands of Canadian Sikhs, the allegation of potential involvement by Indian agents in the murder of a prominent leader has brought anxiety and fear.

On Monday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there is “credible” evidence that agents of the India government are potentially linked to the killing of a Sikh man and Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, outside a temple, last June.

The Indian government called the accusation “absurd,” and the fallout has since soured trade and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Nearly 772,000 Sikh people live in Canada, according to government data, making the country home to the second largest Sikh population outside of India. More than half live in just four cities – Brampton, Ont., Surrey, B.C., Calgary and Edmonton.

The mayors’ responses to the allegations have ranged from urging the federal government to keep people safe to silence, at least publicly.

More than 163,000 Sikh people live in the Brampton, according to 2021 Statistics Canada census data. It is the largest Sikh hub in the country.

“I had members of a local gurdwara reach out to me to say they were worried they were on some lists that could be targeted,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown told a city council committee on Wednesday.

The council voted unanimously to send a letter to the federal public safety minister, federal security agencies as well as provincial and local police asking them to ensure “the safety of all Canadians in places of worship.”