Sikh separatists voice disapproval of Eby’s India trade mission

A small but vocal group of protesters gathered at the B.C. legislature Thursday to protest Premier David Eby's upcoming trip to India.

Sikh separatists held a rally in Victoria Thursday afternoon outside the B.C. legislature to protest the premier’s upcoming trade mission to India.

They chanted, “Who killed a Canadian citizen? India.”

The small but vocal group waved flags and held signs, some calling for Premier David Eby’s resignation.

The pro-Khalistan protesters were particularly upset because of the2023 killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara, which the Indian government allegedly played a role in organizing.

“We didn’t get justice yet,” said Jag Sidhu with Sikhs for Justice, while standing on the steps of the legislature.

“So how come you decide to travel to India for trade when the whole world is struggling?”

Former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum questions whether getting closer to India makes sense, suggesting that country’s government could do more to help end the Lower Mainland’s extortion crisis.

“Surrey right now is going through a huge amount of extortion threats from India,” McCallum said, noting the victims are predominantly from the South Asian community.

“Unless you start to address the issue and help us, then what’s the point of doing any trading?”

With the B.C. and Canadian economies strained due to tension with the United States, Eby is hoping to diversify trade with Asian countries, including India.

“There is a window of opportunity for British Columbia, which is the leading province in Canada in terms of trade with India, to deepen our relationship and expand the trade we already do with a country that is going to be third-largest economy in the world,” Eby said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Some experts believe B.C. has no real choice but to seek diversified trade—with countries like India and others—given President Donald Trump’s comments and actions toward Canada on the trade issue.

“We live in a time of great uncertainty as far as trade is concerned and therefore we cannot have all of our eggs in the same basket, and we have to diversify trade,” said Nicholas Schmitt, economics professor emeritus at Simon Fraser University.

Eby’s trade mission to India, on which he’ll be joined by Punjabi-speaking Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon, is set to begin next week.