The Hindu Canadian Foundation (HCF) has accused Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and the National Post of “irresponsible framing” after a Hindu religious image was used in an opinion piece about Canada’s growing extortion crisis.
In a strongly worded statement, HCF said it was “unacceptable” that a Hindu image was inserted into an article discussing criminal extortion networks and public safety concerns in Peel Region, arguing the image had “zero relevance to the topic”.
“This is not journalism or an opinion piece — this is irresponsible framing and direct targeting of Hindu Canadians.”
The organisation stressed that the op-ed focused on transnational criminal networks and violent extortion incidents in Peel Region, with “no connection whatsoever to Hindu communities”.
“So why insert a Hindu photo? Why manufacture an association that does not exist?”
HCF argued that such imagery reinforces harmful stereotypes and fuels suspicion towards a “peaceful, law-abiding community”, adding that Hindu Canadians “deserve better than to be used as visual scapegoats for issues we have nothing to do with”.
It also claimed Mayor Brown had a “long history of controversial positioning on community issues” and demanded accountability from both him and the publication for what it described as a “harmful and misleading portrayal”.
The controversy stems from an op-ed written by Mayor Brown titled Parliament must pass Bill C-2 now to address Canada’s extortion epidemic, in which he detailed what he described as a surge in violent extortion cases across Peel Region between January 2024 and November 2025.
“As the mayor of Brampton, I’ve seen the extortion crisis hit our communities hard,” Brown wrote, citing more than 40 incidents allegedly linked to transnational networks, including shootings and arsons targeting families and businesses.
He urged stronger federal collaboration, including the involvement of the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in local extortion task forces, arguing that delays in accessing electronic data were hampering investigations.
Mayor Brown called for the swift passage of Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act, particularly its lawful access provisions, which he said would allow police to more quickly obtain subscriber information and transmission data in transnational crime cases involving encrypted platforms such as WhatsApp.
The Mayor’s position has been echoed by federal and provincial leaders at a recent anti-extortion summit in Brampton, where ministers pledged funding and new enforcement measures to combat organised crime.
Ottawa has committed up to $1 million to support Peel Regional Police’s extortion task force and announced plans to establish a Regional Integrated Drug Enforcement Team in partnership with Ontario.
Despite broad political agreement on tackling organised crime, the HCF insists that associating a Hindu image with an article on extortion is unjustified and damaging.
“We will not allow Hindu Canadians to be misrepresented or targeted through careless media choices,” the statement said, reiterating its call for accountability.
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