Canada's Crime Inaction Scrutinized
U.S. Charges for Nijjar Murder Bring Calls for Stronger Canadian Action on Transnational Crime
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U.S. authorities have charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a gang leader facing 37 counts, and his fugitive lieutenant Goldy Brar with ordering the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, according to The Province. The charges mark a major step in a cross-border investigation, but Canadian politicians and former police officers say the U.S. is doing the heavy lifting that Canada should be doing itself.
The RCMP welcomed the U.S. charges, as did United Nations law enforcement agencies, Vancouver Sun reported. Yet critics argue that Canada has been too slow to lay its own charges against transnational organized crime networks operating on its soil.
U.S. Charges Fill a Gap Canada Has Not
Three accused drug smugglers — Ravinder Dhanda, Gurtej Smagh, and Jaskarn Baghri — are due to appear in B.C. Supreme Court following the U.S. investigation into the Bishnoi gang, Vancouver Sun reported. The charges came out of an American probe, not a Canadian one. That distinction is at the heart of growing criticism from within Canada's own law enforcement community.
Nijjar was shot and killed in Surrey in June 2023. His murder sparked a major diplomatic crisis between Canada and India. Now, more than two years later, it is U.S. prosecutors — not Canadian ones — who have named the alleged masterminds, according to The Province.
Former Officers-Turned-Politicians Demand Canadian Action
Two former police officers who became politicians, Elenore Sturko and Kash Heed, are calling on Canada to do more. Both have criticized the lack of Canadian charges for transnational organized crime, according to Fort McMurray Today. They want legislative changes and a stronger policing model to take on global criminal networks operating inside Canada.
Sturko and Heed argue that Canada's current tools are not built for this type of crime. Transnational gangs like the Bishnoi network operate across borders, using global connections to plan murders and run drug operations while staying out of reach of local police, Cochrane Times Post reported.
B.C. Extortion Crisis Exposes Policing Gaps
Sturko and Heed also questioned how well Canada is handling its extortion crisis in British Columbia. Many recent cases involve lower-level local criminals, not the sophisticated international operators seen in cases handled by the U.K. and other countries, according to Hannah Herald. Critics say that gap shows Canada is not catching up fast enough.
The U.K. has prosecuted high-level transnational gang figures tied to South Asian crime networks. Canada, by contrast, has largely charged what Sturko called "local thugs" rather than the overseas bosses who direct them, Daily Herald Tribune reported. The contrast has fueled calls for a more aggressive and coordinated national response.
What Comes Next for Canada and the Bishnoi Case
Bishnoi is currently imprisoned in India. Brar is a fugitive believed to be in Pakistan. Neither is in Canadian custody. That means any prosecution on Canadian soil faces enormous practical hurdles, according to Stratford Beacon Herald.
For now, Canada's role in the Nijjar case appears to be a supporting one. Lawmakers and former law enforcement officials say that is not good enough. They are pushing for new laws, more resources, and a policing model that can match the reach of the criminal networks Canada is trying to fight, Woodstock Sentinel Review reported.
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