Babbar Khalsa flags to be illegal in Canada? House passes bill after decades-old demand from Indo-Canadians

Canada's House of Commons on Wednesday passed a bill that would make it illegal to display terrorist symbols, such as flags of Khalistani groups like Babbar Khalsa and intimidate or obstruct people outside places of worship is set to become illegal.

The bill, formally called the Combatting Hate Act, will now go to the Senate.

The bill bars the glorification of terrorism through the waving of Khalistani flags and open distribution of Khalistani literature in the name of free speech.

The advancing of the bill is being as an achievement for the Indian-Canadian community as it has faced harassment from Khalistani activists for decades in Canada. Temples and other religious associations associated with the community are also regularly blockaded and vandalised by Khalistani activists.

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The Khalistan movement seeks to carve out a separate nation for Sikhs in India's Punjab. These groups waged a bloody insurgency in India for decades until it ebbed in the 1990s. After the insurgency ebbed in India, Khalistani groups developed safe havens abroad, such as in Canada, where they prospered under the guise of freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

Under the bill, organisations like the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), both of whom have been designated as terrorist organisations in India and Canada, will find it harder to operate in the public.

The safe haven for the Khalistani movement in Canada, and the influence of Khalistani activists in mainstream Canadian politics, has long troubled the India-Canada relationship.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau maintained close ties with Khalistani leaders and, in 2023, accused India killing Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom the Indian government had designated as a terrorist. As Trudeau expelled Indian diplomats and further accused India of running organised crime networks in India, the India-Canada relationship fell to its lowest point.

It was only after Mark Carney took over as the Prime Minister of Canada that the bilateral relationship improved.