American officials have opted against condemning IndiaB次元官网网址檚 response to the explosive accusations that its diplomats were involved in an escalating number of violent crimes in Canada.
On Monday, Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats after the RCMP said it believes Indian agents played a role in extortion, coercion and murder.
U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller says Washington takes the allegations seriously, but would not comment on the substance of the new claims or on IndiaB次元官网网址檚 decision to also expel six Canadian diplomats.
Miller says the U.S. has been asking India to co-operate with Canadian authorities for months, after the assassination of a Sikh activist near Vancouver last year.
In Ottawa, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling for any Indian diplomats involved in criminal activity in this country to face B次元官网网址渟evere sanctions.B次元官网网址�
The Liberal government is also trying to assure Canadian businesses that it wants trade with India to continue even though allegations of illegal activity caused Ottawa to suspend negotiations for a free-trade deal a year ago.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Miller did not directly criticize IndiaB次元官网网址檚 decision not to co-operate with Canadian investigations.
B次元官网网址淎s weB次元官网网址檝e said before, they are serious allegations and we have wanted to see India take them seriously and co-operate with CanadaB次元官网网址檚 investigation. They have chosen an alternate path.B次元官网网址�
His comments come as an Indian delegation visited Washington to discuss an alleged murder-for-hire plot that U.S. officials revealed last November.
An unsealed indictment alleged an Indian government employee had directed the attempted assassination in the United States, and spoke about others, including the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last June in Surrey, B.C.
Miller said the visit by what he called the Indian inquiry committee, announced on Monday, was unrelated to the allegations made public by Canadian authorities that same day.
B次元官网网址淭he statement announcing the meeting was planned early last week, maybe (the) end of the week before B次元官网网址� well before we were aware of the actions that Canada was going to take over the past few days. So it is completely coincidental,B次元官网网址� Miller said.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby had similar comments on Tuesday.
B次元官网网址淚 wouldnB次元官网网址檛 speak for the Canadians one way or another. But we have expressed our deep concern about this to our Indian counterparts. They have expressed to us that they are taking it seriously,B次元官网网址� he said.
As the seriousness of the situation began to settle in Tuesday, CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Trade Minister Mary Ng moved to reassure Canadian businesses with ties to India. In a statement, Ng acknowledged the uncertainty that businesses and investors may have as a result as the diplomatic expulsions. She said the government will continue to support commercial and economic ties between the countries.
B次元官网网址淗owever, we must consider our economic interests with the need to protect Canadians and uphold the rule of law,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e will not tolerate any foreign government threatening, extorting or harming Canadian citizens on our soil.B次元官网网址�
Ng said the government remains B次元官网网址渙pen to a dialogueB次元官网网址� with India and looks forward to continuing a B次元官网网址渧alued relationship.B次元官网网址�
The House of Commons is not sitting this week, preventing an immediate debate on the matter, but Singh said his party will be asking the House public safety committee to study B次元官网网址渙ther steps we can take to keep Canadians safe.B次元官网网址�
He called for B次元官网网址渟evere sanctions on Indian diplomatsB次元官网网址� involved in criminal activity. The RCMP in its comments Monday said there were six Indian diplomats they sought to question about the violent activities in Canada, and those six are the ones Canada expelled.
Singh said Canada must also ban a Hindu group that has been accused of hate speech by Sikh and Muslim groups.
B次元官网网址淲e are in uncharted territory, with implications for the diplomatic relationship as well as for CanadaB次元官网网址檚 public safety and national security,B次元官网网址� said Vina Nadjibulla, research vice-president for the Asia Pacific Foundation.
Nadjibulla said sheB次元官网网址檚 watching to see how CanadaB次元官网网址檚 peers respond to the B次元官网网址渦nprecedented, extraordinaryB次元官网网址� news. That could mean diplomatic moves behind the scenes, and possibly public statements of support for Canada.
B次元官网网址淭he reaction from the U.S. is going to be the one that everybody will be paying attention to,B次元官网网址� she said.
B次元官网网址淚n order for Canada, at this stage, to have any kind of co-operation from India and seek accountability for what has happened, we would need India to feel some pressure; we would need India to feel some reason to co-operate.B次元官网网址�
The Bloc Qu茅b茅cois asked Tuesday for the government to B次元官网网址渋ntensify collaboration with CanadaB次元官网网址檚 allies in terms of intelligence and solidarity, in the face of such acts.B次元官网网址�
The Conservatives Monday denounced CanadaB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渆xtremely concerningB次元官网网址� allegations as proof that the government had not taken foreign interference and national security seriously.
India has insisted Canada has provided it no evidence to back up any of the allegations.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the forceB次元官网网址檚 deputy commissioner tried to share evidence with Indian police last week but was rebuffed. This past weekend, deputy foreign affairs minister David Morrison, along with the RCMP, presented evidence to India in meetings held in Singapore. Canada sought IndiaB次元官网网址檚 agreement to revoke the diplomatic immunity of the six individuals but India refused.
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly said IndiaB次元官网网址檚 refusal to co-operate is why Canada declared the six diplomats persona non grata, which is one of the stiffest penalties Canada can impose under the Vienna Convention.
Nadjibulla said it was notable that Joly accused active diplomats of involvement in criminality, and that she said violence linked to the Indian government had only increased since Canada made its concerns public last year.
In September 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canadian intelligence services were investigating B次元官网网址渃redibleB次元官网网址� information about B次元官网网址渁 potential linkB次元官网网址� between IndiaB次元官网网址檚 government and NijjarB次元官网网址檚 killing.
