Vancouver South Liberal candidate Ujjal Dosanjh is accusing his Conservative opponent of breaking Elections Canada rules and showing poor ethics by campaigning at a school with links to a man acquitted in the Air India bombing.
Dosanjh says his Conservative opponent, Wai Young, was endorsed earlier this month by Ripudaman Singh Malik at an event for parents and teachers at a school founded by Malik, called the Khalsa School.
Dosanjh has lodged a complaint with Elections Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency and the B.C. Ministry of Education. He says the school is run by the Satnam Education Society of BC, a registered charity that Malik helps govern.
"Canada Revenue Agency rules prohibit registered charities from engaging in activities which 'can reasonably be construed as intending to influence the outcome of the election,' " Dosanjh notes in his complaint.
He asks for an immediate investigation into the meeting, as well as any potential subsequent use of the school for campaign purposes.
Dosanjh, the former premier of B.C., also says there was a larger question about Young's judgment, "hobnobbing with the likes of Mr. Malik, who has admitted links to the Air India bombers."
"It is offensive to Canadians when you have a mainstream political candidate actually seeking, or accepting, the endorsement of a man who has admitted ties and links to Air India bombers," he said.
Malik, a Vancouver businessman, was acquitted of criminal charges in the 1985 bombings that killed 331 people with two separate bombs aimed at Air India. Another man, Ajaib Singh Bagri, was also acquitted.
Evidence entered during the trial revealed Malik provided financial assistance to the family of Inderjit Singh Reyat, the only man convicted in the bombing. Reyat pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2003 for supplying parts to make the bombs that brought down an Air India jet.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper responded to the allegations Saturday, saying it was the school that invited Young, not Malik.
"She was invited to attend a school. She attended in good faith. She has been very clear: she and her campaign have no links and do not welcome in any way Mr. Malik into this party. We're absolutely clear on that," Harper told reporters at a Conservative rally in Mississauga, Ont.
When a reporter attempted to ask a follow-up question about whether Harper actually believed Young could not know one of the most high-profile characters in the Air India saga, Conservative staff led the crowd of about 500 in sustained applause to drown out the question.
The Conservative Party also issued a response Saturday: "The Conservative party candidate in Vancouver-South was unaware of Ripudaman Singh Malik's background or relationship with the Khalsa School," the party said.
Young responded Friday evening with a statement of her own, confirming she visited the school but denying political ties to Malik.
"I was invited to visit the Khalsa School by the school's principal, not Ripudaman Singh Malik," Young said in the statement. "Had I known he would have been present or was involved with the school I never would have attended."
"No one involved with this school or Ripudaman Singh Malik is involved in my campaign nor have I ever asked for his support."
Dosanjh, however, dismissed Young's assertions, noting that Young has lived in Vancouver all her life.
"She couldn't have been ignorant of Mr. Malik. Mr. Malik is an instantly recognizable face to those who have followed the news in British Columbia over the last 25 years."
The Vancouver South riding is expected to be one of the tightest races in the May 2 federal election.
Dosanjh squeaked by in the last election by a mere 20 votes.
With reports from The Canadian Press
