Downtown Calgary demonstrations limited as G7 begins in Kananaskis

One of Calgary's demonstration zones is seeing some action, but after a busy day Sunday, Monday's protest size paled in comparison.

It was a quieter day of protests in Calgary as the G7 officially got underway just 80 kilometres west.

Only one group of about 75 people demonstrated in the city’s municipal plaza. That’s a stark contrast to the hundreds of people in at least six groups that were there Sunday.

As of 2 p.m., no one was using the other demonstration zone along Macleod Trail.

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Multiple downtown workers CTV News talked to said they didn’t really notice any sort of disruption with one of the world’s largest political events in the province.

That may be because many companies told staff to stay home and do their jobs remotely as the Kananaskis summit takes place.

Sikhs for Justice

Advocacy group Sikhs for Justice was the largest, and loudest, protest Monday.

Protesters wanted to make their voice heard in support of Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh state in India.

They’re against the G7 invite given to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Under his government, there’s a serious threat to the Sikhs,” Bakhshish Sandhu, the group’s leader and a Philadelphian, said. “We want the G7 and Prime Minister Mark Carney to hold India responsible for transnational assassination and repression, which we think is a direct attack on Canadian sovereignty and security.

“It must stop.”

Relations between the two countries have been rocky since Mounties accused Indian agents of killing Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistani separatist.

The shooting happened in B.C. in 2023.

“We understand that international trade is important, but equally important are human rights and a right to self-determination,” Sandhu said.

The protest — and any other happening over the next 36 hours — will be broadcast live for the leaders in Kananaskis.

RCMP representatives say keeping the protesters in designated zones means added safety and minimal disruption to critical infrastructure.