Condemning the recent attack on a Hindu temple in Brampton, which sparked unrest involving pro-Khalistan fringe elements and Hindu groups, veteran Canadian politicians from Punjab have roundly criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for failing to handle the situation with finesse and insight.

Former British Columbia premier Ujjal Dosanjh, 78, said Tuesday that the current unrest stems from the Trudeau government’s inaction in the face of violent statements and activities by separatists in Canada.

Dosanjh, the province’s first Sikh attorney general, condemned the Khalistani’s activities although he narrowly escaped an attack in 1985. Born in a village near Jalandhar, he emigrated to Canada in the early 1960s.

In a telephonic conversation with HT, Dosanjh said, “In my opinion, the entire political class and the defense forces have failed to deal with the situation. Pierre Poilievre (who is running as the Conservative Party candidate for Prime Minister in 2025) also buckled under pressure.”

Dosanjh said pro-Khalistan elements were relatively quiet until 2010, but gained prominence when Trudeau took the reins in 2015. “I hope this chaos ends tomorrow, but it doesn’t ‘won’t happen so soon,’ he joked with a feeling of worry. and caution. Dosanjh served as premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001, then became Canada’s health minister from 2004 to 2006. Dosanjh and Trudeau are both from the same party.

“Would Trudeau act in the same way if there was hate speech against Jews like that faced by some Indians? » asked Dosanjh.

Asked about the reasons for the current unrest, Dosanjh said many immigrants have been allowed onto Canadian soil by the Trudeau administration without proper background checks. “It wasn’t as easy to come to Canada earlier than today,” he said.

Talking about the assassination of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Dosanjh said the Indian government must clarify the matter while the Canadian government claims to have proof of Delhi’s hand and the evidence must also be made public.

Similarly, Gurmant Grewal, 67, a two-time former member of the Canadian Parliament from Surrey, also criticized Trudeau for not handling the issue tactfully. “I am sad that the government has failed to bring the two groups together when the issues can be resolved amicably through talks,” he suggested.

The former parliamentarian said Canada cannot be governed along religious lines and the issue requires a solution for which governments on both sides should involve former politicians with experience and having handled such situations in the past.

“Relations between India and Canada further deteriorated when the Indian government conducted nuclear tests in 1998 and Canada imposed trade sanctions. Then the problem was resolved with intervention from both sides,” Grewal said.