[Op-Ed] - Kahlon's Hero: Jaswant Singh Khalra

September 7, 2015: Facilitating peace in the midst of war is a concept that most Canadians identify with and are proud to lend allegiance to. It was Canada that developed the signatory blue helmets adorned by United Nations Peace Keepers that are now widely recognized and respected around the world. But has our government lost its way?

As defenders and promoters of social justice, Canada has often acted as a beacon of neutrality and has naturally come to be known as a country defined by its kindness and politeness. But, over successive Liberal and Conservative governments we've seen this credibility diminished. We have closed the door on refugees fleeing war-torn countries, denied them healthcare upon their arrival and sat idle as over 1,500 indigenous women have gone missing. Sadly, this government has prioritized dollars over compassion.

Most recently, we've seen the conservative government do very little to help Syrian refugees and worse - a Prime Minister who argues that bombs and war are a solution, rather than taking immediate steps to help those most vulnerable.

It's been difficult to watch and many are asking what we can do about it?

Let me share with you my story.

A few months ago, I was sitting before my community in Brampton alongside Ontario NDP Deputy Leader Jagmeet Singh when the community asked me to lead - I asked them what that meant - and their response was that it was my time to serve and to help build a better Brampton, a better country and world where no one is left behind. I was taken aback but also extremely humbled at the request. I always saw myself as the guy who assisted behind the scenes, coming to the forefront was something that would be new for me.

I took some time to reflect on the options that lay before me. Would I run for the NDP in Brampton East or would I continue to proceed as I was, quietly serving my community. I enjoyed what I was doing, a board member with Seva Foodbank, Bay Street Consultant for Canada's largest banks and most importantly a husband. I thought about it long and hard, consulting my wife, my parents, friends and family - I was torn. But, I had my moment of clarity one evening after I re-watched one of the proudest, most emotional moments I have had in my 12 years of political life - the 2013 NDP Policy Convention.

Why emotional? Let me explain.

In June of 1995, as part of an international tour, Jaswant Singh Khalra arrived in Canada, and stood on Parliament Hill before Members of Parliament to ask for their assistance in his quest for justice. He presented empirical data and indisputable evidence of targeted killings and disappearances of up to 25,000 Sikh youth in Punjab at the hands of government forces.

Earlier that same year, on April 10th I had the good fortune of meeting Jaswant Singh Khalra. I remember being 12 years old at the time, seeing and hearing him speak that day at Dixie Gurudwara was life changing. I remember every part of me was awakened. He was an honest man, and his life's goal was to help - to serve and to build a better life for people. I was inspired.

Mr. Khalra brought his peaceful movement to many parts of the world in an attempt to raise awareness about the injustices taking place in his home. But on September 6th, 1995 when he returned to India, he was kidnapped and tortured by the Punjab Police - and eventually disappeared.

The Government of Canada was given an opportunity to act when Jaswant Singh Khalra delivered his last international speech, but instead they did very little. To make matters worse, both Liberal and Conservative Governments have subsequently linked any discussion surrounding human rights to terrorism and/or extremism. This became painfully evident when former Liberal MPs and leader Michael Ignatieff called the Sikh community's attempts to raise the issue “visceral” and a shield for extremists to promote a hidden agenda. The Conservatives were no different.

But just as hope started to dissipate, under the leadership of the late Jack Layton and now Tom Mulcair, the New Democratic Party of Canada prioritized and fought for the community's desire to share its history as a fundamental right in a democracy. In April 2013, Canada's NDP put words into action and adopted this position as a party policy.

This is the moment I want to share with you.

I, alongside MPP Jagmeet Singh and a team of others from the community drafted a resolution that was presented at the Federal NDP Policy Convention in Montreal, to recognize Jaswant Singh Khalra as an International Defender of Human Rights. We worked tirelessly; we gathered busloads of community members, both young and old and made our way to Montreal to turn this dream into a reality.

In his last speech made to a Canadian audience, released with subtitles by Ensaaf (www.ensaaf.org), Jaswant Singh Khalra discusses his investigations into the disappearances and his readiness to die to expose the truth about these crimes. This video includes clips from his speech made at Dixie Gurdwara (Sikh house of worship) in Toronto, Canada in April 1995, at a conference organized by the radio station Ankhila Punjab.
Source

When our moment came, we asked Jagmeet Singh to speak on the community's behalf. As he shared the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra, he reminded New Democrats that as a party, this was an opportunity to send a message to all Canadians to prove that the NDP would honour and restore Canada's reputation on the world stage, as a defender of human rights. By honouring Khalra's efforts we as a nation could return to our roots, as a country that promotes peace and justice. By his side, stood the NDP's Foreign Affairs Critic Paul Dewar, Human Rights Critic Wayne Martson, MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan, MP Don Davies and my fellow candidate in Brampton North, Martin Singh.

The emotional response from delegates was contagious and before Jagmeet Singh could finish his speech, 2000 delegates rose to their feet and cheered. The resolution "Recognizing Jaswant Singh Khalra as a Human Rights Defender" was formally adopted as an official policy of the NDP. The moment was remarkable, symbolic and I was honoured to be a part of it.

So why was watching the video from this moment so important?

Because I vividly remember how Jaswant Singh Khalra poetically pleaded with Diaspora Sikhs to join him, he worked hard to find the truth for families that had been destroyed. He so eloquently asked us to be the light that fights the darkness.

When 1,500 indigenous women have gone missing in our country, when refugees are not prioritized, and when Sikh Canadians are unable to heal and seek recognition for the 1984 Sikh Genocide - I had a decision to make: would I sit idle or would I take on the task of leading to serve and build a better community, representing a party that truly listens and believes in supporting the efforts of their candidates?

I made my decision. On July 14, I was officially nominated as the NDP Candidate for Brampton East and every day since then I am guided by the words of my hero, Jaswant Singh Khalra.