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Ujjal Dosanjh, Bravest MP in Canada

He stood against Sikh extremism. He was beaten, threatened with murder. Now a terrorist group founder openly backs his Conservative opponent.

By Crawford Kilian, 27 Apr 2011, TheTyee.ca

Ujjal Dosanjh

Liberal Dosanjh: Tight race with Tory Wai Young in Vancouver South.

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Unexpectedly, the 1985 Air India disaster has intruded into the 2011 federal election campaign in Vancouver South. The association of Ripudaman Singh Malik with the Conservative candidate Wai Young has brought her judgment and honesty into question. And it has made terrorism an issue in the election.

It has also brought back a bad time in the life of Young's Liberal opponent, Ujjal Dosanjh. To gain some perspective on the current controversy, The Tyee talked with Dosanjh in his campaign office on Tuesday, April 26.

As a young lawyer, Dosanjh said, he had begun speaking out in late 1984 against the more extreme voices in the Sikh community. In February 1985, he was attacked and beaten with a metal rod, and very nearly killed. It took 80 stitches to close the wounds in his head.

"But the physical pain wasn't as bad as the emotional pain," Dosanjh said. "I'd been trying to help people, to say 'Cool down.'"

Still worse was the emotional scarring the attack had inflicted on his children. Dosanjh recalled an incident when one of his sons was being bullied at school, but didn't want to talk to the teacher. "Stand up in class and talk about it," Dosanjh had said.

"Look where that got you," his son had replied.

Do the right thing and fear not

Speaking out may have been a family trait. Dosanjh talked about his grandfathers and other relatives who had struggled for India's independence, sometimes at the cost of their lives or of long prison terms. He mentioned a grandfather who had narrowly escaped arrest, and who had eventually settled in Canada. Dosanjh recalled walking his grandfather home one day and asking him if he'd ever been afraid.

No, the old man had said, citing an old belief that those protected by God can't be killed. Dosanjh took that to mean that if you are doing the right thing, you need not fear the consequences.

The extremists have long memories. Dosanjh mentioned an incident last year when some people had said publicly that he would not be welcome or safe at the 2010 Vaisakhi parade. Dosanjh (who hadn't been planning to attend) condemned that attitude; he then saw the appearance of two Facebook pages dedicated to discussing and funding his assassination.

Last week, the news broke that Wai Young had attended a meeting at Khalsa School, Vancouver which had also been attended by Ripudaman Singh Malik, acquitted in the Air India case but an acknowledged founder of the terrorist Babbar Khalsa movement and a financial supporter of the family of Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only person to be convicted in the case. Malik was now also a supporter of Wai Young's election campaign.

The vanishing candidate

The Young campaign promptly went into defensive mode. Young herself disappeared. A statement from the federal Conservatives appeared on her campaign website, rejecting Malik.

When The Tyee spoke on April 25 with Paul Lee, Young's media representative, he said the Khalsa School had invited her, "and being accommodating, she went. Had we known who was going to be there, we would have said no. She went to meet students, so she wasn't really stumping."

Lee went on: "She had no idea who Malik is. No one introduced her. Some parents showed up. There were speeches in Punjabi; I have no idea if they included endorsements. We have no tolerance for anything he stands for."

Asked about the Khalsa School meeting, Ujjal Dosanjh described it differently, citing a person who attended: "It took place at 3:30 in the afternoon. No students were there. It was teachers, staff and parents, and everyone was speaking English. She was endorsed and money was collected."

Moreover, both Dosanjh and Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan have learned that Young had met Malik on April 2, just after the opening of her campaign office, in the home of a supporter. And Dosanjh also went public with allegations that the vice-president of the Vancouver South Conservative Association is an associate of Malik.

When The Tyee checked back with him, Lee said he had not attended the event at Khalsa School. But because Young had attended meetings with students at other schools, "I assumed they were all student meetings."

Checking over Wai Young

As for the April 2 meeting, Lee said: "I remember it well. I was there. About five of us carpooled to the home of a supporter. It was a house packed with Sikhs. We shook hands and got a warm reception, but no one introduced anyone by name. They wanted to hear her. She talked about the Conservative platform.

"Other people got up and spoke about the needs of the community, how Sikhs had supported the NDP when they were millworkers and then the Liberals when they became merchants, and now maybe it was time for a change again. They were checking her over. There was no mention of Mr. Malik whatsoever. They talked about contributions. If Mr. Malik was among the crowd, I didn't know it."

How, The Tyee asked, could Wai Young not know who Ripudaman Singh Malik is? She had grown up in Vancouver South, where Malik is extremely well known at least by reputation. And if she didn't know about him, surely someone on her riding association executive should have alerted her -- perhaps that associate of Malik's.

"I can't explain why she wasn't alerted," Lee said. He repeated that "We fully repudiate his endorsement." Asked if the campaign had returned any contributions made by Malik, he said a search for such contributions was under way.

Shock waves

Malik appears to be sending shock waves through the Lower Mainland political community: A Vancouver Sun report on April 26 said Mayor Gregor Robertson and several city councillors attended a Khalsa School event last year that Malik also attended, and that they took pains not to be photographed with him.

Also on the 26th, Kim Bolan reported that Malik said on a Punjabi radio program that he still supported Young and also backed two Liberal candidates: Sukh Dhaliwal in Newton-North Delta and Shinder Purewal in Surrey North.

Contacted by The Tyee, Purewal was surprised to hear of the endorsement. "I don't comment on other people's comments," he said. "I'm just focused on the campaign and seeking support from my constituents."

Dhaliwal's media person said: "The campaign has had no contact with Mr. Malik. His comments were unsolicited, and we found out about them only through the media. Sukh says the only endorsement we are seeking is the endorsement of Newton-North Delta voters on May 2."

Ujjal Dosanjh, at least, doesn't need to worry about such kiss-of-death support. His campaign signs, he told The Tyee, had suffered some routine damage. But since the Young/Malik story broke on April 22, the signs are being defaced. (A glance at his signs around East 49th and Fraser confirmed this.) "It's vicious," he said.

Not as vicious as an 80-stitch beating with a metal rod, but still a reminder that not everyone will be content with the results of a clean campaign and honest debate. To wage such a campaign, when you know some of your voters have contempt for parliamentary democracy, takes more courage than many politicians can find. [Tyee]

Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.

35 Comments:

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  • VanSouthVoice

    1 year ago

    Emotional Pain? We're thankful if Ujjal caused less to others.

    THIS is emotional pain that Ujjal has obviously launched against Wai Young - the timing of all these reports is just all to obvious. Ujjal you ARE beating an 80 year old woman with a metal rod!!

    [UNSUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS REMOVED. -MODERATOR.]

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNA6J7n--yc

    It's no wonder that his own community lectures Ujjal on being careful with his evil tongue.

    Speaking to Postmedia News after his interview with Ignatieff, Hansra said he was not intending to threaten Dosanjh in the editorial, but rather warn that his expressed views could provoke violence."I wrote an article suggesting (Dosanjh) should think before he talks," Hansra said.

    Read More: http://www.theprovince.com/story_print.html?id=4615689&sponsor=

  • VanSouthVoice

    1 year ago

    Dear Crawford...

    You're wrong: "Ujjal Dosanjh, at least, doesn't need to worry about such kiss-of-death support"

    Ujjal does need to worry about this kiss-of-death support, because apparently Mr. Malik is affiliated with Raymond Louie, who is supportive of Ujjal; therefore, Ujjal is tied into all of this afterall and should receive the comments that he's made against Wai Young before the dust was settled. http://www.straight.com/article-387789/vancouver/liberal-ujjal-dosanjh-wins-support-coun-raymond-louie-and-cannabis-activist-jodie-emery

    "Dosanjh recalled an incident when one of his sons was being bullied at school..." oh Aseem took his father's advice alright.. and turned out to be quite the fighter - beating up police officers as he wished:

    http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/05/05/bc_aseem000505.html
    http://www.ducharmefox.com/patducharme_about_sonacquit.aspx

    consider this my letter to the editor.

  • verso

    1 year ago

    Ujal

    "We know your dirty tricks Ujjal!! SHAME ON YOU! You damage your own signs."

    Those are pretty strong accusations, VanSouthVoice, do you have some evidence to back it up?

    Ujal's past with the BC NDP notwithstanding, his willingness to stand up to religious nut-jobs make him okay by me. I hope he beats Wai Young come election day.

  • G West

    1 year ago

    Give your heads a shake

    Dosanjh was speaking out against Sikh extremism decades ago - while Brian Mulroney and his foreign minister couldn't get their messages straight and the RCMP and CSIS were playing footsie with Malik and his gang.

    Because of the incompetence of the horsemen and the stupidity of Mulroney's government the REAL guilty party is still walking around free AND causing trouble.

    Good column Kilian.

  • VanSouthVoice

    1 year ago

    Perspectives

    It's funny how all leads lead back to perspectives doesn't it?

    Let's contrast strong accusations:

    - Ujjal's six-month campaign to smear our Canadian Forces in Afghanistan as war criminals.
    - Ujjal pointing fingers and quoted on many occasions that the Conservative party is linked to terrorism.

    Me - accusing Ujjal of flinging mud only to have backfired to damage his signs and his brand name.

    How come he's not launching an investigation of his fellow Liberals with Elections Canada? It's the same case, didn't he already set the precedence?

  • verso

    1 year ago

    lol

    "It's funny how all leads lead back to perspectives doesn't it?"

    An accusation is an accusation. You are making a statement of fact with no supporting evidence – that's not an opinion.

    "Me - accusing Ujjal of flinging mud only to have backfired to damage his signs and his brand name."

    Me - asking you for proof to your accusation that Ujal defaced his own election signs.

    You - deflecting and not answering the question.

  • Skywalker

    1 year ago

    Verso

    Can you provide proof or are you just trying to provide some red herring to defend Harper and his useless candidate.

  • verso

    1 year ago

    ?

    Skywalker, how am I defending Harper by asking SouthVanVoice for evidence that Ujal defaced his own signs?

    I thought it was pretty clear from my posts that I don't want Wai Young to take the riding.

    Believe, I don't want Harper to win the next election.... further more, I don't even live in Vancouver South.

  • offended

    1 year ago

    Unfortunately Ujjal lost a lot of credibility

    When he skipped over to the Liberal party.....

    Yes he has been brave in some of his condemnations of Sikh separatists, but the complaint he has made appears to have been made more to prop up his losing campaign...

    And I'm not a Tory.

    I personally think the actions of both the Liberals and the Tories in this race show exactly why people are flocking to the NDP; they're sick of this stuff.

  • VivianLea Doubt

    1 year ago

    courage...

    Dosanjh, whatever his faults, has demonstrated courage past and present. I don't live in his riding, but anyone who has convictions - and doesn't script before he speaks - is worth listening to. Maybe even emulating, if we would like to have "a clean campaign and honest debate".

    This is the heart of democracy: people who express views and ideas without fear, and who are not managed by 'image consultants'.

  • Skywalker

    1 year ago

    @Verso

    Sorry that should have been addressed to the VanSouthVoice.

  • VanSouthVoice

    1 year ago

    credit to politicians

    for sure - anyone that dares to step into this political arena needs courage. And if Ujjal ever spoke about his experience on something AFTER he retires from government it might be an amusing experience.

    Clinton has lots of people listening to him despite humiliating the entire nation with his oval scandal.

    But then I ask - if Ujjal is such a strong believer of 2nd chances and forgiven past, then why were his words so harsh on Malik - an acquitted man from decades ago?

  • verso

    1 year ago

    ...

    No worries, skywalker, figured that was the case after thinking on it.

  • VanSouthVoice

    1 year ago

    Malik has courage

    I want to read an article on the courage of Mr. Malik whose family has suffered so much at the cost of the Federal election. Yes, I understand that regardless of what acquitted means, there are other victims in his own situation.

    I simply want to say that Mr. Malik has been a victim to Federal Politics and Ujjal's unprincipled methods.

  • Fish-counter

    1 year ago

    I respect Ujjal Dosanjh.

    [OFFENSIVE COMMENT REMOVED. -MODERATOR.]

  • winston

    1 year ago

    Ujjal has no business as a

    Ujjal has no business as a Canadian MP attacking the government of India.

    Ujjal is calling on people to rally around him to “build a movement” towards directly addressing the internal affairs of another sovereign country.

    Ujjal is taking part in marches to rid Indian government of corruption.He should be using that energy to rid our Government's corruption.

    Ujjal's talk of extremism on the rise is fanning flames of righteous indignation among peaceful Sikhs in Canada.

    Ujjal is facing criminal charges for defamation after a speech he made in Chandigarh India 1n 2010.Such speeches often work for Indian agencies and aim to discredit Sikh community’s legitimate and genuine grievances regarding gross human rights violations against Sikhs in India and continued practice of impunity by the Indian Government.

    WSO President says Ujjal's Liberal politician’s persistent rhetoric is causing a backlash for Canadian Sikhs.
    He said: “We see an upsurge in hateful comments about Sikhs every time Mr. Dosanjh claims there is extremism here.

    The WSO contacted Michael Ignatieff and asked him to look into Dosanjh’s inflammatory remarks.

    Further,we are concerned that a member of parliament is making remarks that appear to be encouraging the kind of prejudice that has implications for the safety of Canadian Sikhs.

    Ujjal seems to have no problem condoning the other 2 BC liberals getting Malik's support.

    Ujjal is wearing thin...How many times has he been curiously
    involved in political scandals.

    RCMP tip him off on Glen Clarke. Gillian Guess gangster case. Did he have his conversations with Peter Gill wiretapped? Did he say play down my relationship to Gill?

    www.waterwarcrimes.com/If this is true the rot really runs deep. Ujjal's in there with all the rest.

    The teflon man's coat is waering thin.

  • Barher

    1 year ago

    Ujjal

    I admire and respect Ujjal and support most of the issues he has championed.

    I'm disappointed that he has now chosen to attack Layton.

  • winston

    1 year ago

    Ujjal, the secret tape

    Ujjal, the secret tape recordings when Ujjal was trying to buy his vote

    Ujjal arranges for a visa for the very same Atwel guy that attacked Ujjal 4 months before air india. Ujjal refers Atwel to Don Bell who then refers him to the Grewals... Addios Atwel!

  • winston

    1 year ago

    the secret tape recording

    the secret tape recording scandal when Ujjal was trying to buy Grewals' vote

  • Skywalker

    1 year ago

    Vansouthvoice

    "Malik has courage". You got to be kidding me? Enough courage to ship him back to India. Now that would be courage.

  • G West

    1 year ago

    Malik has Courage?

    You must be kidding me - he hasn't even told the truth to the Attorney General's ministry about the assets he has to pay for his own defence as he promised many times to do...

  • Bill_Horne

    1 year ago

    ignore the trolls

    The bizarre allegations, hyperbole and ridiculous assertions (e.g. "Malik has courage") of these trolls sound like party operatives who are cranking out boilerplate BS. Thanks, Crawford, for writing this.

  • cboo44

    1 year ago

    Dosanjh has no principles.

    ONLY a self-serving interest. He sold all his principles when he was the AG of BC. We are STILL paying for his 1 year of solid politicization of the ministry.

  • Skywalker

    1 year ago

    cboo44

    More unsubstantiated allegations without a shred of proof. Either way I'm no fan of Ujjal's but I would take him before Malik any day.

  • x4estworker

    1 year ago

    Sikh Terrorists on Display Again at 2011 Vaisakhi

    I have to give Ujjal Dosanjh full marks for his courage for speaking out against Sikh extremism. I wish I could say the same for Mayor Diane Watts of Surrey and the Surrey RCMP.

    Remember last year's Vaisakhi parade in Surrey? There was a huge media fuss because the organizers of the parade from the Dasmesh Darbar Temple put pictures of known Sikh terrorists on some of the floats and at the Temple. This included Talwinder Singh Parmar, the driving force behind the Air India bombing.

    Mayor Watts and the RCMP promised that there would be no repeat of that affront to Canadian democracy this year. Vaisakhi was last weekend, and the RCMP assured everybody that there were no pictures of terrorists around.

    I was therefore a little bit more than surprised when I went to the blog of Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan, who is a recognized expert on Sikh terrorism and who attended the Vaisakhi celebration this year. She reported that there were numerous posters and pictures of Sikh terrorists both at the Temple and on the parade floats. Readers can see for themselves at:

    http://communities.canada.com/vancouversun/blogs/realscoop/archive/2011/04/24/surrey-vaisakhi-and-sikh-quot-martyrs-quot.aspx

    It seems that the votes of Sikh radicals are more important to the spineless Ms Watts than defending Canadian democracy and generally doing the right thing. And don’t get me started with the RCMP.

  • winston

    1 year ago

    Ujjal empowers himself when

    Ujjal empowers himself when he speaks out against Sikh extremists.

    Ujjal empowers the extremists when he speaks out against extremism.

    Ujjal empowers an Indian government for human rights abuses when Ujjal speaks out against Sikh exteremists.

    Ujjal empowers NO non Indian residents when he speaks out against Sikh extremism.

    Ujjal empowers the Liberals when he scours a link to charities of Sikh extremism.

    Ujjal did you advocate for a float in the Vaishiki parade to commemorate the 329 people killed on Air India 182?

    Thank you sincerely Ujjal Dosanjh for all you have contributed. Your power is now impotent.

  • warbler

    1 year ago

    Ujjal a good man

    UD is one of the few federal Liberals I'd consider voting for. A man of courage, integrity and humanitarian spirit.

  • zalm

    1 year ago

    The Sikh community

    ...in BC needs to get its own house in order before it loses all credibility.

    Transferring the Executive Hotel in Harrison Lake to a family member to avoid paying for his own defence in the Air India matter was a reprehensible act. That some members of the community stand behind the man despite this act - in effect forcing us BC taxpayers to pay for his defense of lies - makes a mockery of the legitimate members of the community who have worked hard and paid their dues to contribute to this country.

    And Ms. Young should be the very first to tell the Sikh community to get its act together. She has been so firm on the problems immigrants cause by refusing to fully integrate into Canadian society and following its Judeo-Christian morals and values to the point that she solicited a grant of $500,000 from Minister Jason Kenney for her consulting business to train immigrants to speak English, and is further battling her siblings to deny them a repayment of a portion of their recently-deceased fathers' estate....

    Hmmmm.... maybe those two are well met after all....

  • Dan the socialist

    1 year ago

    I noticed after this story

    I noticed after this story first broke all the Liberal Party election signs (and there were only Liberal ones) on the grass and fence of the Ripudaman Singh Malik owned Khalsa school in Newton came down.....coincidence???

  • Francis

    1 year ago

    The hypocrisy is wonderful

    The Harper governments default position is to support terrorist activities and organizations if it will give it a majority.

    One more nail in this deceitful governments coffin.

    Well done Mr. Dosnjh, I do appreciate you bringing this to the public knowledge.

  • winston

    1 year ago

    Ujjal Dosanjh

    A poster on another site offered this insight: He articulated that Malik was a Liberal insider that served up the demise of the Conservative
    party.

    Considering the history of air india, the liberals in power the failure of RCMP and CSIS, Chretian at Old man Khdar's beck and command in Pakistan to free the guy from Pakistan jail for terrorist activities...

    Malik might very well already be the king maker in Canada coming from the left...

  • gagan

    1 year ago

    Time for change

    - He played a big role in dividing his own community. How can he join Canadians and solve bigger problems.
    - Changed political party from NDP to Liberal. I can’t trust a man who just has lust for power but no attachment to any party core-values/platform
    - Ujjal had his chance and showed what he can do. Now it is time for change

  • guystone

    1 year ago

    Sikh newscaster

    I wonder how Ujjal felt when Iggy (Ujjal's leader) went ahead and took an interview with an interviewer that promoted his beating?

  • swami99

    1 year ago

    Dosanjh's supporters can

    Dosanjh's supporters can relax. He can win his Riding with 40%, and that should be in the bag. Although he almost lost last time, Conservative support will go down.

  • guystone

    1 year ago

    Ujjal

    Not a Liberal fan (conservative) but I thought Ujjal was one of our best premiers. I'd be happy if he got elected - great guy. Ran the province like a business.

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