Nearly three in four Canadians support stricter policies to prevent foreign separatists, such as the Khalistani movement, from operating in Canada, with over half saying they oppose the movement’s activities in Canada.
According to a recent Leger 360 poll, 54% of Canadians oppose the Khalistani separatist movement’s operations in Canada, with 72% saying there should be stricter actions by the government to prevent foreign separatists from organizing in the country.
The survey asked a sample of 1,515 voting-aged Canadians, statistically weighted to represent Canada’s population according to available census data, their thoughts on foreign separatist movements in Canada. The data was collected from Dec. 13 to Dec. 16.
The report states that for comparison purposes, a probability sample of the same size yields a margin of error no greater than 2.52% 19 times out of 2020 for the Canadian sample.
This comes just months after Khalistan-led protesters stormed Hindu temple property after an altercation in Brampton, Ont., and related protests outside temples in Surrey, B.C., which led to a pro-Indian riot in Brampton the following night.
The Khalistan movement, primarily spearheaded by “Sikhs for Justice” in North America, advocates for a Sikh-led state to be carved out of India, with most of its territory being in the Indian state of Punjab. The Indian government has declared Sikhs for Justice as an “unlawful association.”
The poll found that 30% of Canadians believe that Sikh Canadians face “unfair scrutiny” due to the actions of a small minority of Sikhs in Canada involved in separatist activities in Canada, though another third disagree that they do.
Only 10% of respondents said they support Khalistani separatists operating in Canada, with just 2% saying they strongly support it. Among respondents of South-Asian heritage, however, 28% said they support the movement in Canada.
Ontario was the province with the most measured support. Still, only 11% of Ontarians reported support for the foreign separatist movement in Canada. According to the latest census reports from 2021, Ontario houses the largest South Asian population in Canada.
The Greater Toronto Area alone, namely Brampton and Mississauga, housed nearly 1.2 million South Asian individuals in 2021. For instance, in 2021, 52.4% of Brampton residents identified as South Asian. That number is expected to have grown substantially since then.
Just over half, 54%, of respondents said they opposed Sikh separatist activities domestically, with 37% saying they strongly opposed the movement in Canada.
Over two-thirds, 68%, of Canadians express concern about allegations that the Indian government has interfered in Canadian domestic affairs, including threats towards Sikh Canadians. A third of Canadians said they were “very concerned” about the allegations.
The RCMP announced a series of arrests of Indian nationals allegedly connected to the murder of Khalistan-separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar at a Surrey, B.C., Sikh temple in June 2023.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Dehli of orchestrating the alleged assassination, which led to heightened diplomatic tensions between Canada and India. The spat led to both countries demanding the withdrawal of the other diplomats over the following years.
Despite this, just over half, 53%, said they were aware of the accusations that India was intimidating and assassinating Sikh Canadians, though 79% of South Asian respondents said they were aware.
Though many Canadians reported a high level of concern about the topic, only 20% said they follow news about the Khalistan separatist movement closely. 76% of Canadians said they were not following news on Khalistan separatist news, with 35% saying they don’t.
Nearly half of Quebecers reported that they don’t know whether or not they support Khalistan activities in Canada. At the same time, 84% of Quebecers reported that they did not follow the news closely about their activities. Quebec had the highest level of disconnect from the issue at large.
