India consul-general demands Conservative MP to stop using 'Sikh nation'
- During a parliamentary committee meeting, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown described how India's consul-general intervened in his leadership campaign by objecting to his use of the term 'Sikh nation'.
- Michelle Rempel Garner, Brown's campaign co-chair, was reportedly pressured by the consul-general to ensure Brown stopped using controversial language.
- Brown concluded that despite this foreign interference, the outcome of the Conservative leadership race was determined by internal campaign strategies and membership numbers.
In a parliamentary committee session, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown discussed alleged foreign interference by India's consul-general during his 2022 Conservative leadership campaign in Canada. Brown asserted that Indian officials made direct demands regarding political language, specifically concerning the term 'Sikh nation'. This phone call was reportedly directed at Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner, who was co-chair of Brown's campaign at the time. The consul-general insisted that the term could be interpreted as promoting nationalism within the Sikh community, prompting an agreement that Brown would refrain from using it. Despite these claims, which raised serious concerns regarding foreign involvement in domestic politics, Brown maintained that India's interference did not significantly affect the outcome of the leadership contest which resulted in Pierre Poilievre's victory. He supported this assertion by citing the impressive membership sign-ups for Poilievre's campaign, area of over 300,000 members, compared to his own 62,000. While he acknowledged receiving feedback and concerns from the Indian government regarding his previous stances, he firmly rejected the notion that such external influences swayed the election's final results. The committee's inquiry into these allegations aligns with broader discussions on the implications of foreign relations and diplomacy in Canadian politics. Brown also mentioned being disinvited from an Indian community event due to alleged discontent from the Indian government regarding his advocacy for Sikh issues, particularly after his attendance at a vigil for activist Deep Sidhu. Despite such notable interactions, Brown emphasized that he never experienced direct threats from Indian officials related to his political maneuvers. The eventual disqualification of Brown from the leadership race in July 2022 was primarily due to accusations of violations in electoral financing rules rather than any foreign influence, as determined by an investigation from the Commissioner of Canada Elections. Although minor breaches were acknowledged, they were deemed insufficient to warrant further action. The political landscape in which these events unfolded continues to provoke debates around the acceptable limits of diplomatic engagement versus interference in domestic affairs.