THE CONTACT WEEKLY NEWSPAPER ISSUE - 727, 11 - 17 JULY, 2017 PH: (905) 671 - 4761
Jagmeet Singh says Indian government Windsor destabilizing his campaign Sikhs hopeful
Vancouver (Gurpreet Singh) Federal NDP leadership candidate Jagmeet Singh is getting reports that the pro-India lobby in Canada is trying to dissuade people from getting involved in his campaign. Talking to Straight during his Vancouver tour this weekend, Singh said he’s learned from his supporters that people
within the South Asian community are often discouraged from participating in his fundraising events. Singh noted that some people who had earlier shown interest in donating money to his campaign later changed their minds after receiving some kind of pressure. “I am still trying to get as many witnesses
as I can to prove this so that an appropriate action can be taken,” he said. He pointed out that if any foreign government is found to be interfering in Canadian politics through its agents, this matter should be taken seriously. Singh is also receiving opposition from racists in the mainstream community because of his turban and facial hair. “In spite of these challenges I continue to receive tremendous support from ordinary people,” he said. The Indian government previously denied Singh a visa for constantly raising human-rights issues in that country. In 2016, the Ontario MPP brought forward a motion in the legislative assembly seeking to recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre in India as a Sikh genocide. It didn’t pass, but this year Singh supported a similar motion by a Liberal MPP, which did pass. Thousands of Sikhs were murdered all over India in November 1984. The bloodshed followed the assassination of then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Supporters of the slain leader’s Congress party were seen leading the mobs targeting innocent Sikhs. Apart from speaking out for justice for
the victims of anti-Sikh violence, Singh has been raising the issue of political prisoners in India, as well as castebased oppression of Dalits or so called untouchables. He has been equally critical of antiMuslim violence that rocked the western Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. That carnage was started by the Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) after a train carrying Hindu pilgrims was allegedly torched leaving more than 50 people dead. The Gujarat government under Narendra Modi (now prime minister of India) blamed Muslim fundamentalists for the incident. When Modi was welcomed by the Canadian government in 2015, Singh was one of the rare politicians who pressed the Canadian government to raise its voice on the human-rights situation in India. Singh’s great-grandfather was an Indian freedom fighter who died fasting for the rights of political prisoners, yet the Indian government continues to bar Singh from entering the country. “Though it hurts that I cannot go to the country my parents came from, I have no regrets for standing up for the right thing,” Singh said. “If my great-grandfather could sacrifice his life for the nation, how does it matter if I don’t get a visa?”
Jagmeet Singh will become Canada’s next PM
Faces can reveal if we are rich or poor Emotions mask life-long habits of expression that become etched on a person’s face even by their late teens or early adulthood, such as frequent happiness, which is stereotypically associated with being wealthy and satisfied, researchers said.
People can guess if an individual is rich or poor just by looking at their face, and such indicators can even influence job prospects, a study has found. Using an annual median family income of about USD 75,000 as a benchmark, researchers from University of Toronto in Canada grouped student volunteers into those with total family incomes under USD 60,000 or above USD 100,000 and then had them pose for photos with neutral faces devoid of expression. They then asked a separate group of participants to look at the photos and, using nothing but their gut instinct, decide which ones were ‘rich or poor’ just by looking at the faces. The team was able to determine which student belonged to the rich or poor group with about 53 per cent accuracy, a level that
exceeds random chance. Researchers also found that this indicator of a person’s economic standing may even act as a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ that influences social interactions. “Those first impressions can become a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s going to influence your interactions, and the opportunities you have,” said Thora Bjornsdottir, PhD student at University of Toronto. “What we are seeing is students who are just 18-22 years old have already accumulated enough life experience that it has visibly changed and shaped their face to the point you can tell what their socio-economic standing or social class is,” said Nicholas Rule, associate professor at University of Toronto. Continued on Page 4