Sikh asylum pleas in Canada record over 400% rise under Trudeau regime

TORONTO: There has been a steep increase in the number of asylum claims made by Indian nationals, majority of them Sikhs, in Canada under the Justin Trudeau government.

As per the data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) accessed by Hindustan Times, there has been nearly 450% jump in Indian asylum seekers since 2016, when Prime Minister Trudeau assumed charge in Ottawa, to August-end this year.

In 2016, the figure stood at 565. It rose to 1,490 in 2017, and by the end of August 2018, it jumped to 2,540. A recent report in the Canadian daily, National Post, pointed out that there had been a rise of 256% in Indian asylum seekers by mid-2018, as compared to the corresponding period last year.

In fact the number jumped 2,500 by August-end this year, an increase of 40%, the report said.

The report cited a refugee claim analysis by intelligence and analysis section of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which stated, “A frequent basis of claim cited by Indian nationals is the fear of arbitrary arrest or abuse by the police based on accusations of tions. It should be noted the vast majority of these claims are filed by Indian Sikhs.”

The CBSA analysis estimated the final number for the year could reach 4,200.

‘2020 REFERENDUM A REASON BEHIND TREND’

The analysis also noted that the 2020 referendum for an independ tist group Sikhs for Justice, may be a reason behind this phenomenon.

However, the author of the report, columnist John Ivison comments, “There is, of course, nothing untoward about those being genuinely persecuted seeking refuge in Canada. That is what the program is for.”

But there are suggestions the Liberals (Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party) are manipulating the process for political purposes.”

The report claimed, “Sources suggest that in 2016, Canadian visa officers in India were told to facilitate people seeking temporary resident visas, at the same time as senior officials sympathetic to increased Sikh immigration were brought in to oversee the program.”

Curiously enough, those from India now account for the secondlargest bloc making these asylum requests withonlyNigerianslog