Canada's Foreign & Defence Ministers condemn desecration of temples in parts of country

Canadian officials have denounced the desecration of a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area, which occurred on Tuesday, February 14. In the early hours of the day, the Shri Ram Mandir, located in the Greater Toronto Area town of Mississauga, was vandalised with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti spray-painted on its rear walls. This was the fourth such incident in eight months. “Freedom of religion is a fundamental tenet of our democracy," tweeted Canada's defence minister Anita Anand. 

Freedom of religion is a fundamental tenet of our democracy. I spoke with Panditji today – and reiterated that vandalism of Hindu temples, and all places of worship, is unacceptable. https://t.co/IZfjGBCUgS

— Anita Anand (@AnitaAnandMP) February 15, 2023

While attending the NATO Defence Ministers' meeting in Brussels regarding Ukraine, Canada's Defence Minister Anand spoke to Pandit Roop Nauth Sharma, the president of Shri Ram Mandir in Mississauga's GTA town regarding the attack on the temple. Anita Anand emphasised that defacing Hindu temples, or any place worship for that matter, is intolerable. Anand made history in 2019 when she was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to his Cabinet, becoming the first Hindu to hold such a position in Canadian history.

Repeated attacks on Hindu temples in Canada must stop, says Canadian foreign minister 

The repeated vandalism of Hindu temples in Canada must stop.

No one, no matter their faith or ethnicity, should live in fear or intimidation— especially at a place of worship. My thoughts are with those at Ram Mandir temple in Mississauga and Hindu communities everywhere.

— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) February 15, 2023

Anita Anand wasn't the only minister who spoke about the attack on the temple. “The repeated vandalism of Hindu temples in Canada must stop. No one, no matter their faith or ethnicity, should live in fear or intimidation - especially at a place of worship. My thoughts are with those at Ram Mandir temple in Mississauga and Hindu communities everywhere,” wrote foreign minister Melanie Joly on Twitter. India and Canada have had a testy relationship due to the current Canadian dispensation's failure to crack down on Khalistani terrorism. 

Peel Regional Police (PRP) is investigating the incident as a "hate-motivated crime". In a statement released on February 15, PRP stated that it has launched an inquiry into the matter. "We want to assure Peel's Hindu community, and residents of all backgrounds and faiths, that Peel Regional Police has no tolerance for hate and condemns this act in the strongest possible terms," the statement read.

India's High Commission in Ottawa raised concerns with Global Affairs Canada after the Shri Ram Mandir in Mississauga was desecrated. The consulate in Toronto tweeted their condemnation and requested that Canadian authorities investigate and take action against the perpetrators. As mentioned earlier, this was the fourth incident of targeted attack on Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area in eight months. On January 30th, the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton was attacked. In September, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto was attacked. None of the incidents have led to arrests.