Hamilton police officers were ordered to visit a Sikh temple and attend a “cultural competency” training program on understanding Sikhism. The Sikh community makes up less than two per cent of the Hamilton population according to the 2021 census.
A video of the program shows police officers donning Sikh religious headgear and entering the temple.
Sukhi Dhillon who led the course, was a former school trustee and associate of local NDP MP Matthew Green and former Ontario NDP MLA Gurrattan Singh, brother of Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
Hamilton police have a long documented history of outreach efforts toward the Sikh community.
Their official social media accounts routinely acknowledge key Sikh observances, such as the birthday of Guru Nanak and Sikh Heritage Month, which is celebrated every April in Canada since 2019, when the Sikh Heritage Month Act was passed.
Additionally, last June, officers attended a Sikh martyrdom parade, where even non-Sikh officers were seen wearing turbans, the traditional headscarves worn by religious Sikh men.
Their participation in cultural and religious events has been widely publicized, but some have raised concerns about their involvement in events that emphasize martyrdom.
Khalistani extremism was behind Canada’s largest terrorist attack. The 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 was orchestrated by Sikh extremists, resulting in 329 deaths, many of whom were Canadian citizens.
Cultural competency training is an increasingly common practice among law enforcement agencies in diverse societies. True North reached out to Hamilton police for comment, but the service did not reply.