Archive · 9 Aug 2026
Canadian MPs Urge RSS Ban, Bhagwat Entry Refusal
Two lawmakers in Canada wrote a letter to their government.
They asked Canada to stop a visitor named Mohan Bhagwat from coming into the country.
He is the leader of a big group in India called the RSS.
He planned to visit Canada from August 31 to September 1 as part of a worldwide trip.
The lawmakers say his visit could cause problems and upset people.
They say he has said unkind things about people of some religions and has links to violent groups.
Many other Canadian groups also asked the government to keep him out.
The lawmakers also asked the government to ban the RSS group entirely.
Now the Canadian government has to decide what to do.
Two Canadian New Democratic Party MPs, Heather McPherson and Jenny Kwan, urged the Mark Carney government to ban the RSS and declare its chief, Mohan Bhagwat, inadmissible to Canada.
Bhagwat is scheduled to visit Canada from August 31 to September 1 as part of a global outreach tour also covering the US and the UK.
The MPs alleged Bhagwat has a history of hate speech, advocacy of violence against religious minorities, and association with criminal and listed terrorist organizations.
The MPs said Bhagwat's presence in Canada could 'lead to social disorder' and would be a danger to Canadians, citing extremism and foreign interference concerns.
Justice For All Canada, representing 267 Canadian civil society organizations, and more than 40 civil society and faith-based groups separately urged the government to deny Bhagwat entry.
- Who
- Canadian New Democratic Party MPs Heather McPherson and Jenny Kwan, who wrote to the Mark Carney government about RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned visit.
- What
- The MPs urged the government to ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and declare Bhagwat inadmissible for his planned visit, citing alleged hate speech and advocacy of violence against religious minorities.
- When
- The MPs issued their open letter on Friday, August 7, 2026; Bhagwat's visit was scheduled for August 31 to September 1.
- Where
- Canada, where the MPs and civil society organizations are pressing the government over Bhagwat's planned entry.
- Why
- The MPs said Bhagwat's presence in Canada could 'lead to social disorder' and endanger Canadians, citing alleged extremism, hate speech and foreign interference concerns.
Critics of the visit
RSS and tour organizers
Banning the RSS and Bhagwat's admissibility
Critics of the visit
MPs and civil society groups argue that Bhagwat's history of hate speech, advocacy of violence against minorities and association with criminal and listed terrorist organizations makes his presence a danger to Canadians, and urge the government to deny him entry and ban the RSS.
RSS and tour organizers
The RSS presents itself as a cultural and social organisation, and tour organisers have publicly described the visit's purpose as addressing international perceptions of the RSS, indicating the group sees itself as a legitimate outreach body.
Threat to Canadian communities
Critics of the visit
Critics, citing United Nations experts, say the RSS's ideological foundations raise concerns about religious majoritarianism, exclusion and hostility toward minorities, and warn of social disorder, far-right extremism and foreign interference in Canada.
RSS and tour organizers
The outreach programme is framed as a cultural and social initiative in the RSS's centenary year, with organisers seeking to improve international understanding of the organisation rather than to threaten communities.
- Demand
- Ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Canada and declare chief Mohan Bhagwat inadmissible
- MPs who wrote the letter
- Heather McPherson and Jenny Kwan (New Democratic Party, until recently led by Jagmeet Singh)
- Scheduled Canada visit
- August 31 to September 1
- Tour scope
- US, Canada and UK, part of the RSS's global outreach in its centenary year
- Letter recipients
- Ministers of public safety, foreign affairs, and immigration, refugees and citizenship
- Civil society opposition
- More than 40 organizations urged Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to deny entry; Justice For All Canada wrote on behalf of 267 organizations
- UN human rights experts
- Called on Canada to protect Sikhs from threats by Hindutva extremist groups, including the RSS
- RSS and BJP
- RSS is the parent organisation of the Bharatiya Janata Party, India's ruling party
