Ontario, Canada (April 25, 2014): Racist Pamphlets targeting Sikhs are in circulation over social media and otherwise, suggesting Brampton, Ontario would be better off if its population was more white.
Entitled “The Changing Face of Brampton,” the flyers bemoan the loss of “Mainstream Canadians” in the city and feature an old photograph of a caucasian crowd next to a more recent image of Sikh men and women.
It is notable that the image of Sikh men and women is not related to Sikhs residing in Brampton or Canada, rather it’s an image featuring All India Sikh Students Federation president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad and Babu Singh Dukhiya and other victims and survivors of November 1984 Sikh genocide in Delhi, India.
“Is this what you really want?” the flyer asks. “Consider This: According to 2001 Census City of Brampton, Mainstream Canadians made up 59.6% of Brampton’s Social Fabric. In 2011 it dropped to 32.9%. What will census findings be in 5, 10 or even 15 years from Now?” it reads further.
As per a news reported by MetroNews.Ca: Brampton Coun. Vicky Dhillon said a number of constituents contacted him Thursday to complain about the flyer and its message.
“These things are not acceptable,” he said. “Every community is putting their efforts in to make this country better.”
Vicky Dhillon reportedly called the flyers “racist,” and said they do not represent the views of most Bramptonians.
The controversial flyers also caught the attention of Toronto-Davenport MP Andrew Cash, multiculturalism critic for the NDP.
“To suggest that some people are less Canadian or not at home here based on their ethno-cultural background is simply deplorable,” MP Andrew Cash said.
The pamphlet directs people to the website of Immigration Watch Canada, a B.C.-based group that advocates for immigration reform.
In a written statement sent to the Sikh Siyasat News (SSN), the World Sikh Organization of Canada has also condemned the racist flyer.