Ontario [Canada], June 30 (ANI): Ritesh Malik, Chairperson of the Canada India Foundation and chief organizer of the National Security Conference, emphasized that the event was held to unite Canadians against the growing threat of extremism in the country.
Speaking to ANI, Malik said the conference aimed to engage Canadian policymakers and galvanize collective action.
“We are doing this conference united against extremism today here in Canada, which we as Canadians feel is very important and timely for all of us. As a community, we are going through a lot of threats in terms of extremism, and this is not against any community, individual, or organization,” Malik stated.
“This conference is for Canada—to preserve Canada in its pristine state and to ensure that we address the current challenges we face as Canadians, particularly in dealing with extremism and the suffering of communities daily. We need to call this out and make sure government policymakers and everyone who cares for Canada listens and does their best to help Canada,” he added.
Former Canadian Minister Ujjal Dosanjh also addressed the issue, saying lawmakers have largely overlooked the threat of extremism in the country.
“Today’s meeting is important. I think it’s probably one of the first public meetings in a long time that would highlight the question of extremism in Canada—particularly in the Indo-Canadian community—and how the politicians in this country haven’t paid much attention to it,” Dosanjh said. “Extremism, drugs, smuggling, and even immigration rackets all sometimes come together to create problems for our society.”
Aviation expert and author Sanjay Lazar, who lost his entire family in the 1985 Air India bombing, spoke of his hope to establish a center for education and remembrance.
“This is also the 40th anniversary of the Air India Kanishka bombing, where I lost my entire family. I’m here to speak to everyone in the hope that we will be able to establish a memorial learning center in Canada and in India, and also bring this subject into the education system across Ontario, BC, and Canada,” Lazar said.
Canadian journalist Wyatt Claypool praised the event for addressing foreign policy with clarity and seriousness.
“It’s a great conference as we’re talking about national security and foreign policy seriously. Canada has become a country that often backstabs its allies. Whether it’s India or Israel, we take the wrong side. We talk like second-year foreign policy students obsessed with de-escalation. We forget that sometimes there is a right and a wrong,” Claypool remarked.
Another Canadian journalist, Danial Bordman, underscored the urgency of countering radical elements he said were infiltrating various sectors of Canadian society, including schools.
“The focus of today’s event is to counter the various types of extremism rising through Canada. We have Islamist groups, the Muslim Brotherhood, IRGC-connected, Pakistani ISI-funded, Khalistanis, and radical far-left elements infiltrating our schools,” Bordman said. “All the worst people in the country are very mad that this is happening. But I’d say all the best people in the country are in this building right now. So I’m excited to be here.”
The Canada India Foundation (CIF), in collaboration with the Tafsik Organization, hosted the one-day National Security Conference on Sunday under the theme “United Against Extremism.”
Held at the Paramount EventSpace in Woodbridge, Ontario, the conference brought together prominent voices from across Canada to address the threats posed by extremist ideologies, foreign interference, and their impact on Canada’s national security.
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