Documentary ‘contained significant and numerous factual misrepresentations,’ lawsuit argues
July 11, 2007
San Grewal
Staff Reporter
In response to what it describes as a “dishonest and highly offensive” characterization made by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a $110 million civil lawsuit was filed today on behalf of the World Sikh Organization against the national broadcaster.
The lawsuit, filed in the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto also names reporter Terry Milewski and Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh for comments they made in a June 28, 2007 feature story titled “Samosa Politics” that aired on The National.
A similar version of the story, which linked Sikh extremism to the WSO and highlighted its ties to the mainstream Canadian political scene, also aired on CBC Radio, with a print version posted on the CBC News website.
The WSO describes itself as a non-profit human rights group established in 1984 with national bodies around the world that defend not only Sikhs but the rights of all people. Representatives would not say how many members there are in Canada or worldwide.
“It is the WSO’s view that the CBC documentary contained significant and numerous factual misrepresentations about the World Sikh Organization,” said Gian Singh Sandhu, a policy advisor with the group’s Canadian body, who spoke at a press conference held today in downtown Toronto.
“The WSO’s lawsuit for defamation, libel and slander arises from the airing of the documentary noted above.”
Sandhu added that the story, which he says was written about in Indian newspapers and mentioned by media in other parts of the world, has resulted in, “significant damage to the reputation of the WSO and the Sikh community.”
A CBC spokesperson said the broadcaster was not aware of the suit until it was informed about the press conference yesterday and that “if and when” the suit was received it would be given “due consideration.” Until then, the CBC will not make any comment.
A spokesperson for Mr. Dosanjh, MP for Vancouver South, said he had not been served as of 4 pm eastern time and had no comment about the suit, but stood behind his statements made in the CBC news story.
When asked what Mr. Dosanjh specifically said in the story that the WSO objected to, Mr. Sandhu said it was obvious that the MP was making a connection between the WSO and Sikh extremism.
A segment of the story included comments by Dosanjh, stating that at the Dec. 2006 Liberal leadership convention in Montreal the WSO exercised significant influence. He then states that a Sikh delegate told Dosanjh’s wife, not knowing who she was, not to vote for Bob Rae.
Dosanjh then states in the story that the delegate said Rae, in a 2005 report to the federal government, was openly critical of Sikh extremists behind the 1985 Air India bombing, and should not be supported.
As for factual errors that the WSO believes were included in Milewski’s reporting, Sandhu said after the press conference that, contrary to what appears in the news story, a man with alleged ties to convicted Air India-bomb maker Inderjit Reyat, named Daljit Singh Sandhu, was never the leader of the WSO.
Another mistake, according to Sandhu, is the CBC news story’s assertion that the WSO released a 2000 press release with the title: “Sikhs did not bomb Air India 182”, which, according to the CBC “claimed that a cargo door fell off the plane.”
“There was no such press release from the WSO,” Sandhu said.
He added that the story’s characterization of a 1984 convention at New York’s Madison Square Garden where Sikhs were videotaped calling for violence, as a WSO event is factually incorrect.
“That was not a WSO function. Mr Milewski needs to do his homework.”
Source: TheStar.com
Related:
Sir,
Can l ask what the Sikh community intends to do about honour killing practices such as in the case of Jassi Kaur Sidhu. Hiding behing religion is not what l have read of your religion which l believe advocates equality but yet culturally is prone to practices similar to others in South Asia. Killing to preserve family honour has no basis in any religion and the case of Jassi Kaur Sidhu will not simply conveniently fade into the background. The Youth of sikism need to stand up against such practices and denouce any one remotely associated with such barbaric rituals. The Uncle of Jassi is implicated at the very least for the cruelty administered to Jassi and should not be revered. This is not an attack on your religion but a plea for your community to mobilse and condemn what is a great injustice to women and men. I implore you to openly debate this subject in a manner that deplores the act of taking anothers life regardless of what is perceived to be justified. There is no honour or justice in this specific case and the husband is still paying a disproportionate price, now is the chance for your community to do something that is worthy of those who pray to god. Help the poor man and bring those implicated to justice.
The world is watching and waiting,the case is being publicised even more now than ever before. Honour your community and do the right thing.
To T SChulz
What does the biased CBC documentary by dishonoured cbc reporter with questionable ethics(i.e the APEC affair where Terry was found guilty and suspended from the network) have to do with the Jassi case, an isolated neverthelsess horrible incident that occurred 7 years ago???
Blair Evan Donnely killed his 16 year old daughter in Kitimat over a boyfriend last november, while another white anglo saxon man killed his daughters boyfriend in Saskatchewan. If honor killing or whatever it is that you refer to(heard about it for the first time in Canada)…is so prvelant in the south asain community then why aren’t there hundereds of cases in Canada??? on the contrary women of that background are marrying men from other ethnic groups more than ever before…more so than even some European groups like italians and portuguese etc. go to any south asian or sikh/punjabi wedding or cultural events in BC and Ontario you will see a lot of mixed families. As for the Jassi case it happened in another country…so its a bit harder to investigate as there are matters of jurisdiction etc. to contend with…what about the picton trial??? it happened right in BC is a national scandal, so is the case of missing women in Edmonton and the highest rate of domestic homicide in Canada among the caucasian communities of Albetra(number one) and BC(a close second) which has been pretty steady for 30 odd years now. Its hard to believe though because the CBC aired the Jassi documentary by Anna maria tremonti 14 times in the last 6 years and has never touched the high rate of domestic homicide among caucasians in the two western most provinces. Has the cbc ever pursued he cases of murdered white women that zealously…no because the cbc airs what sells and confirms the prejudice and bigotry of a certain segment of the population.
As for Terry he lost his credibility during the APEC affair seems like is about to do it all over again…this time with the WSO. Two pieces of info that he presented as facts were factually incorrect…the irony is that on the basis of these arguements is was trying to link the WSO with terrorism…this is like Kim Bolan linking Liberal MP Bains to Air-India and making a connection between him and the anti-terror legislation
even though Bains was nine years old at the time and anti-terror legislation had nothing to do with Air-India inquiry or trial but was a result of 9/11 and was never used once during the trial or subsequent inquiries. All Vancouver reporters reporting on Sikhs are cut from the same cloth.
AS for the comments of Dave Hayer and Ujjal Dosanjh…well Hayer’s father Tara singh Hayer(whom kim bolan calls a good friend) distributed sweets after Indira Gandhi was assasinated and staunchly supported the sikh demand for Khalistan until relations went sour with Malik over a business deal, Dosanjh on the other hand was a supporter of India’s communist party which wanted to turn india into a communist state with the help of the soviets…he came abroad at a time when indian government started hunting down communist extremists called naxalites all over India. Surrey sikh Temple president Balwant Gill who wants his picture in every paper even if it means that he has to comment on Gangs(what does surrey gurdwara president have to do with gangs??? does the same apply for catholic churches and italian mafia??? Protestant denominations and Hells angels???)…very bizarre indeed…these three individuals because of their personal beef with the groups that have some standing with in the community leave no stone unturned to label everyone that is not them to terrorism and suits the purpose of biased journalists who play to the prejudices of the mainstream regarding the brown, turbaned men with long beards. These individuals don’t have any standing in the community. Most people don’t need anyone to tell them right from wrong. The only problem is one sided slant that passes for journalism in Canada.
Dear T Schulz, what does this have to do with the jassi case? the jassi case has to do with their own personal family problems, not with sikhism and when you say “Honor your community and do the right thing” do you want the entire sikh community to stand up against this one family whom are having their own internal issues? makes no sense mate.
I think you may have your Kitimat cases confused. Donnelly did not kill his daughter because of a boyfriend. He killed her because he was delusional and believed that God wanted him to do it. Personally, I think that’s a crock, but that’s the reason he gave. Another girl, Amandeep Atwal, was killed by her father because she chose to date, and later live with, a white man. Please check facts before you decide to post. Misinformation can really hurt at times.