The Globe & Mail Gets The Kabul Evacuation Story Wrong

Sikh Canadians must make a stand against Anti-Sikh hate & the Globe and Mail's reckless and incorrect reporting on Canada's humanitarian policy during the Kabul Evacuation

Tarjinder Bhullar
June 28, 2024 | 7 min. read | Opinion

There’s a lie that some of us, as Sikh Canadians, may have been telling ourselves over the years; worse, some of us might have even truly believed. The lie is that if we were born here or came here early enough to “fit in,” if we worked hard, were productive citizens, did things just right, wrote our own stories, charted our own paths, and had more of us in places and positions of power; we would be welcomed, acknowledged, appreciated, and valued. Our voices would matter, our honest actions wouldn’t be considered suspicious, and we would one day have made it.

It is something that became more apparent to me personally after the recent and very problematic Globe and Mail article on legitimate Canadian efforts to rescue persecuted Afghan Sikhs and Hindus - a mission my brother, the late Manmeet Singh Bhullar, began in 2015 and garnered the support of Canadian Members of Parliament across parties in 2020 and again by the Government of Canada during the evacuation of Kabul in 2021.

However, while we, as Sikh Canadians, are shining, reaching new heights, and doing better than some ever thought possible, we have a long way to go. And the further we go, the harder we’ll fall because there are forces that will continue to want us to fail. Some of those forces come from the outside, and some from amongst our own. 

I’m not saying this to dissuade us, and it is certainly not the experience of the Sikh community alone. But for right here and right now, let’s make it about us. 

I suppose it is the prerogative of storytellers at the Globe and Mail to take the word of unnamed sources rather than publicly available Government of Canada policy and statements that clearly outlined the establishment of a special program to assist vulnerable populations, religious minorities included, during the Kabul evacuations of 2021.

“Canada will continue to implement the special immigration program for Afghans who contributed to Canada’s efforts in Afghanistan. In addition, we will introduce a special program to focus on particularly vulnerable groups that are already welcomed to Canada through existing resettlement streams, including women leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, persecuted religious minorities, LGBTI individuals, and family members of previously resettled interpreters. The program will welcome government-supported and privately sponsored refugees, along with those sponsored by family already in Canada,” the government said in a press release about that policy on August 13, 2021—a statement which applied to the Afghan Sikhs and Hindus in question. 

Unfortunately for Sikhs, the failure of the Globe and Mail to tell the story honestly has meant ever-growing Anti-Sikh hate.  

It is also simplistic and unrealistic to believe that the Minister and the country were not doing more than one thing simultaneously to help as many people as possible. Or that the efforts to protect policy-approved vulnerable groups would come at the cost of Canadians and those who supported us on the ground. 

Additionally, it is unreasonable to think that a Minister from a minority community is, by default, not allowed to honestly help those with whom they share an aspect of identity. 

Is that not the whole premise behind our choosing representatives who epitomize the depth and breadth of our identities, concerns, causes, and hopes as citizens of this democratic nation? 

If Minister Sajjan directed CAF members to assist other groups listed in this special program with whom he did not share a religion, would that be more palatable?

If a minister belongs to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, would we question or chastise them for advancing the legitimate causes of this community? If a former human rights advocate turned MP championed the advancement of global human rights causes, would their integrity be questioned? How about someone with a history of climate change activism? The list could go on. 

Occasionally, if it smells like racism and looks like racism, it is racism. And sometimes, when one of us is being attacked, all of us are being attacked.

Some will quickly label me as playing the race card. Others may see my arguments as a favour for Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan because he, like many other parliamentarians, has shared my goal of carrying out the humanitarian work my brother Manmeet Singh Bhullar initiated. 

One—playing the race card is never my first instinct or something I throw around arbitrarily. The sting of racism is too strong for me to casually apply it as a label. 

Two—my brother did not shy away from standing up for his community and what was right, even when it had a personal or political consequence. 

As his sister, I hope to do the same. 

There’s a hard truth that Manmeet often shared with his family and friends. For some people, the simple sight of someone who looked like him—the beard, the turban—did not equate to what they thought an elected official or Minister should look like in Canada. He was the first in many ways, so this could be seen as a natural reaction to change.

Much has continued to change. Sikhs are involved in politics at nearly every provincial, municipal, and federal level. 

Despite the progress and representation, not everyone is okay with that. Many still feel that the seat belongs to someone else, is more appropriate for someone else, or was taken away from someone who should have it. They believe in the Anti-Sikh trope of dual loyalty, that they, the Sikhs, can’t serve Canada and their religion at the same time. Regardless of evidence to suggest otherwise, they believe all the decisions and actions of Sikh politicians must be seen through that lens and cloud of suspicion by default. 

The Globe and Mail Article citing anonymous sources who believe Minister Sajjan misused his authority as Minister of Defence to assist Afghan Sikhs and Hindus during the fall of Afghanistan in August 2021 lays bare a truth that I believe has followed him for much of his political and professional career: for some people, he will never be Canadian enough to be a soldier, an MP, and a Minister - he is not what a Minister of Defence should look like, be like. Never mind that he has called Canada home since the age of five and that he also served his community as a police officer. 

Simultaneously, he’ll never be enough for many in the Sikh community. He’s not saying enough about Sikh issues, he isn’t doing enough, he’s forgetting who he is. 

Manmeet once shared that his biggest fear and hurt are tied to his community. He never wanted to let them down, and he felt the pain of their disapproval was a deeper hurt than anything else. What infuriated him was the silence from his community when there were issues and stands to take. 

Right now, Minister Sajjan is under attack, and more from the community could and should be speaking out because it is not only about his defence but our legitimacy as Canadians. Any Punjabi and Sikh Canadian politician of any stripe who thinks that this couldn’t happen to them, think again. You’ll never be Canadian enough for the institutions you give tireless effort to and make sacrifices for, and, on the other hand, your own community, which may cheer you on one day, can ghost you the next when they see you in trouble. 

The game of snakes and ladders is real life, my friends. Your time in politics will come and go, just like our time here on earth. You’ll be a Sikh far longer than any political title you hold. 

Aiding the Sikhs and Hindus of Afghanistan was never going to be a personal gain for Manmeet. It isn’t one for me or my father, our family, or Manmeet’s former staff members who have continued to carry this heavy load. 

It certainly hasn’t provided Minister Sajjan with any wins. 

But that’s not why Manmeet started this work, and that is not why we have carried on with it.

Like him, we’re doing it because it is the right thing to do. It is the Sikh way of life, and it is the Canadian way of life. We know our truths, and we will always stand by our efforts.

I reckon it is the right time for others to check the reasoning behind their actions or inactions as well.

Tarjinder Kaur Bhullar is a communications professional with over 15 years of experience helping individuals and organizations share their stories.  Educated with a Masters of Arts in communications and technology, Bachelors of Arts in communications, and diploma in broadcasting, her work experience has been focused on the non-profit and public sector. As a Director of the Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation, the most important story she is committed to sharing with others is of the life of her brother, Manmeet Singh Bhullar. She served as Campaign Manager for his three political campaigns and continues to champion the causes important to him. You can find her on Twitter at @tbhullar.

The Manmeet Singh Bhullar Foundation was established in 2016 after his passing. It has overseen the evacuation and resettlement of nearly 900 Afghan Sikh and Hindu religious minorities, the largest refugee resettlement efforts undertaken by a Sikh organization. Elected as MLA for the northeast constituency of Calgary-Greenway in 2008, Manmeet Singh Bhullar became the youngest member to be elected to Alberta’s 27th legislature and the first turbaned Sikh Cabinet Minister in Canada. Learn more about Manmeet’s story and the Save Afghan Minorities Project on X at @themsbf or themsbf.ca.

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