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CANAM News Network in Canada received messages of concern when Member of Parliament Don Davies of the National Democratic Party (NDP), British Columbia proposed a Caste Based Motion M-128 in June 2024. The Network responded by arranging an interview between the MP and CasteFiles Founder Richa Gautam to understand the Motion. The conversation with MP Don Davies discussing the Motion can be seen here.
Canadian Hindus are keen to hear from Don Davies and since airing of the interview, CANAM is receiving feedback from Community Leaders. Dr. Ragini Sharma, Founder, and President of the Board of Directors, COHHE, a Canadian Hindu Organization said “There is a lot to unpack with the Caste Motion as proposed by MP Davies. Hindus see the motion as a state sponsored, taxpayer funded profiling of Hindu Canadians given that Caste is indelibly and controversially linked to Hinduism in every dictionary, academic and media discourse.”
Dr. Sharma has organized a Caste Motion Information Session on Saturday June 29,2024 with Richa Gautam as the guest speaker. They will discuss the concerns of the Hindu community and the international perspectives on Caste. To register please check @COHHEOfficial on Twitter.
Ironically the Caste Motion M-128 is based on a ruling on a single case by the BC Human Rights Tribunal. Don Davies himself commented during the interview that students come home and ask their parents, what is my caste? Clearly, this shows that caste consciousness is not prevalent among Canadian Hindus. Hindus are concerned that Motions M 128 will actually insert unnecessary and divisive caste consciousness in the community.
It is pertinent to note that MP Davies is aware that the existing Human Rights Act covers caste discrimination under the existing categories of creed, ancestry and country of origin, as clarified by the BC Human Rights Tribunal and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. It’s unclear why the motion attempts to revisit a separate category for caste, which is not applicable to all and profiles Indo Canadians.
A CANAM viewer said “NDP moves forward with their continued anti-India agenda of targeting Canadian Hindus with the caste trope, while ignoring attacks on Hindus, Hindu temples and suspicious deaths of Hindu Canadians”. The NDP did not support the petition to Recognize Hinduphobia presented in the House of Commons in February 2024. Letters requesting support had been sent to every MP across Canada.
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