Toronto: Canada’s principal opposition party, the Conservative Party, has intensified its push for the federal government to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization. The call follows a letter from Conservative MP Frank Caputo to Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, urging the government to take stronger action against the gang’s activities in Canada.
In a post on X, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre stated, “Liberal open borders immigration allowed Bishnoi terrorists and gangsters to come to Canada and terrorise our communities. Conservatives call: Ban the Bishnoi terrorists; arrest and deport all its members now.”
Poilievre’s statement came after his party’s public safety critic, Frank Caputo, sent a formal letter to Minister Anandasangaree on Monday. In his letter, Caputo wrote, “I implore you to list the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity to provide law enforcement and all levels of government with the tools necessary to address the Gang’s activities. The designation would permit the government to push back against the Gang with financial, criminal and property sanctions.”
The demand from the Conservatives adds to a growing chorus of voices from across Canada. Both the Premier of Alberta, Danielle Smith, and the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, have previously urged the federal government to make a similar designation. In a statement from July, Premier Smith and her Minister for Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, described the gang as a “transnational criminal network responsible for violence, extortion, drug trafficking and targeted killings, including here in Canada.” They argued that a formal designation would “unlock critical powers” for law enforcement.
Last month, in response to media inquiries, Minister Anandasangaree acknowledged that a “legal threshold” must be met for such a designation, but confirmed that the matter was under consideration by the country’s law enforcement agencies.
The Bishnoi gang has been linked to a wave of extortion attempts in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta, and has been accused of claiming responsibility for recent attacks on a cafe in Surrey, B.C., which has alarmed the South Asian community. The gang is also known for its involvement in the murder of entertainer and politician Sidhu Moose Wala in India in May 2022, and India has sought action against gang members operating from Canada, including Satinderjeet Singh, also known as Goldy Brar. In 2022, India flagged its concerns to Canada about transnational gangs and their growing ties with pro-Khalistan elements.