Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh kicks off his Dil-Luminati Tour at BC Place in Vancouver on April 27.Andrew Chin/Getty Images
Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan lobbied in April for the Canadian Armed Forces to send about 100 soldiers to act as backdrops at a Vancouver concert by Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh, one of India’s most popular singers and actors.
Mr. Sajjan’s office confirmed that he received a request on April 15 from the singer’s manager, Sonali Singh, for Canadian soldiers to participate in his April 27 sold-out performance at BC Place. The following day, Mr. Sajjan sent a letter, dated April 16, from the manager, “along with his endorsement,” to Defence Minister Bill Blair, Mr. Sajjan’s press secretary Joanna Kanga said.
National Defence said Mr. Blair then forwarded the request to Canadian Armed Forces commanders, who rejected the idea of having soldiers serve as backdrops at Mr. Dosanjh’s concert. A military source said the request was for 100 soldiers. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the officer, who was not authorized to discuss the matter.
Ms. Kanga said Mr. Sajjan makes no apologies for his support of the Punjabi pop star’s request.
“Diljit Dosanjh is the biggest Punjabi artist in the world and was on the verge of making history as the first Punjabi artist to sell out a concert at one of the largest stadiums in Vancouver,” Ms. Kanga said.
“Minister Sajjan agreed the concert would be a good opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces to engage with and expand connections to a diverse community of young Canadians, along the lines of the CAF outreach and recruiting events at professional sporting events.”
The Office of the Minister of National Defence “provided the letter to the Canadian Armed Forces, which determined that meeting this request would not be feasible due to the tight timeline and personnel availability,” Lieutenant-Commander Linda Coleman said in a statement to The Globe.
“Additionally, it is crucial that participation in such events does not impact domestic and international operations, and our operational readiness must be sustained at all times,” she said.
The Defence Minister did not push back at the refusal to comply with Mr. Sajjan’s request, LCdr. Coleman said in the statement: “The office of the minister of national defence promptly acknowledged and thanked the Canadian Armed Forces for its assessment, thus concluding the matter.”
Mr. Dosanjh has been a vocal critic of India’s ruling government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lending his support in 2020 to Punjab and Haryana farmers who held mass protests after the Modi government brought in reforms to open the highly regulated farming sector to private players. At the time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was accused by the Modi government of making “ill-informed comments” when he criticized how the police had clashed with the protesters.
The artist kicked off his Dil-Luminati tour with a sold-out stadium show at BC Place to a crowd of 54,000 people, the biggest Punjabi music concert outside of India.
Mr. Trudeau also recognized the appeal of Mr. Dosanjh among the Indo-Canadian community. He stopped by the Rogers Centre in Toronto before Mr. Dosanjh’s July 15 concert to meet the singer. Mr. Trudeau later posted pictures of the two on social media.
Ms. Kanga said Mr. Sajjan, who is also the MP for the riding of Vancouver South and the minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, was doing his job in supporting “historical achievements with great economic and cultural benefits” for Vancouver.
“Minister Sajjan attended the concert with his family. He bought his own tickets, and all expenses were covered by Minister Sajjan personally. It was a terrific show,” Ms. Kanga added.
The Globe was unable to reach Mr. Dosanjh for comment.
LCdr. Coleman said the Armed Forces do play a role in public-relations activities such as the Calgary Stampede, professional hockey and baseball games, as well as multicultural festivals across the country.
“While we strive to engage with Canadians and tell the Canadian Armed Forces story consistently and compellingly, our engagements are subject to a number of factors – including budgets, schedules, conflict of interest guidelines, and operational needs,” she said.