Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has added his voice to the list of politicians calling on the federal government to declare a gang based in India a terrorist organization in Canada.
Speaking in Surrey, B.C., on Wednesday,Ā where police say they’ve received 10 extortion reports inĀ six months,Ā Poilievre asked for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to be added to Canada’s list of terrorist organizations.
“There’s evidence now that their violence is linked to terror and to political motivations,” Poilievre said.
Police in B.C. have saidĀ members of the province’s South Asian community are being extorted for cash under threat of death or violence, and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has been linked to some of those threats.
For example, a Surrey businessman hasĀ received threats demanding $2 millionĀ while businesses he’s associated with have been targets of gunfire three times.
The Bishnoi gang is also tied to cases of extortion and targeted shootings in Ontario’s Peel Region,Ā Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown previously said.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said that banning the Bishnoi Gang from Canada would āshut down an international extortion networkā that has āterrorized communities.ā
PoilievreĀ said designatingĀ the Bishnoi gang a terrorist entity will give police greater authority to crack down on the group’s activities.
“Law enforcement has spoken out about the organized chaos and violence this group has done in our country, and that isĀ why mayors across the country, premiersĀ have also said ā¦ this organization should be put on the list of banned terrorist entities,” he said.Ā
Other political leaders calling for the terrorism labelĀ include Brown,Ā B.C. Premier David EbyĀ and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. The Conservatives asked for the designationĀ last week, but Wednesday was the first time PoilievreĀ has addressed the matter publicly.Ā
Listing the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code would make certain activities illegal, including those related to financing, travel and recruitment. The Criminal Code already includes provisions for dealing with criminal organizations.
Simon Lafortune, press secretary for the public safety minister, didn’t say if the Bishnoi gang is being considered for inclusion on the terrorist list, explaining the government’s “national security expertsĀ independently evaluate and provide recommendations on whether any entity meets the thresholds set out in the Criminal Code.
“That process is rigorous and ongoing, and all potential threats are continually assessed to ensure we are keeping Canadians safe,” he added.
The federal government has taken similar actionĀ against seven criminal organizations including cartels and street gangs involved in fentanyl trafficking. Among them are the Jalisco New GenerationĀ and Sinaloa cartels,Ā two of Mexico’s largest and most powerfulĀ organized crime groups.
Canadian police sourcesĀ have told CBC NewsĀ the Bishnoi gang is one of a number of criminal enterprisesĀ in northern India that have spread into North America in recent years.
The group’s founder, 32-year-oldĀ Lawrence Bishnoi, has been in Indian prisons since 2014, “but his network is wide and vast” to this day, Poilievre said Wednesday.
“His organization takes orders from him and carry out extortions and other crimes around the world,” PoilievreĀ said.
Indian media outlets have described extortion as one of theĀ gang’s biggest sources of income,Ā at home and abroad.
Wednesday’sĀ news conference was Poilievre’sĀ first media availability since winning a byelection Monday in the rural Alberta riding ofĀ Battle River-Crowfoot.
He used his stop in Surrey to condemn the Liberals’ response to crime. Poilievre supportsĀ mandatory jail time for people found guilty of extortion.
He alsoĀ wants the government to repealĀ Bill C-5, which expanded the availability ofĀ conditional sentences,Ā allowing some convicted criminals to serve time under house arrest, andĀ Bill C-75, which requiresĀ judges to release some people charged with a crime while on bail at the “earliest reasonable opportunity” andĀ with the “least onerous conditions.”
