Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back Tuesday on IndiaB次元官网网址檚 denial of allegations that it played a role in the death of a Canadian citizen, which New Delhi blasted as B次元官网网址渁bsurd and motivated.B次元官网网址�
Yet while Trudeau is urging India to take the matter seriously, Liberals also say they hope to maintain normal ties with a country Ottawa has selected as a key partner in the Indo-Pacific.
Trudeau revealed in the House of Commons on Monday that Canadian intelligence services are 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 the death of British Columbia Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Trudeau said Tuesday thatIndiaB次元官网网址檚 government B次元官网网址渘eeds to take this matter with the utmost seriousnessB次元官网网址� but would not say whether it is co-operating.
B次元官网网址淚t is extremely serious and it has far-reaching consequences in international law,B次元官网网址� he told reporters on Parliament Hill.
Trudeau said he waited until he was able to raise the issue with allies and with IndiaB次元官网网址檚 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi earlier this month before telling the public about the possible link.
B次元官网网址淲e wanted to make sure that we had a solid grounding in understanding what was going on in analysis and indeed in facts,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.
B次元官网网址淲e wanted to make sure we were taking the time to talk with our allies, to share what we knew. We wanted to make sure that we fully shared with the government of India, the seriousness and the depths of our preoccupations and indeed conclusions.B次元官网网址�
On Monday,Ottawa ordered a senior Indian diplomat to leave Canada, and India responded by sending an unnamed Canadian diplomat packing, citing unspecified B次元官网网址渋nterference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.B次元官网网址�
IndiaB次元官网网址檚 ministry of external affairs said after TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 announcement that it rejects the accusations, arguing they mean to distract from Sikh separatists in Canada that New Delhi argue pose a security risk.
B次元官网网址淭he inaction of the Canadian government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern,B次元官网网址� reads a statement from the ministry, which was posted before TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 comments on Tuesday morning.
A senior government source who is close to the prime minister said Trudeau was confident enough in the allegations that he opted to raise them directly with Modi in New Delhi.
The source, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter publicly, said Trudeau opted to share the news to clear the air in response to mounting questions from the media and rumours in diaspora communities about IndiaB次元官网网址檚 involvement.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Trudeau ought to share more information about what led him to make his Monday statement in Parliament. He said the prime minister did not share more details with him than what he had said in the House of Commons.
B次元官网网址淲e need to see more facts. The prime minister hasnB次元官网网址檛 provided any facts,B次元官网网址� he told reporters Tuesday on Parliament Hill.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has written to the newly appointed head of the public inquiry on foreign interference, asking Justice Marie-Jos茅e Hogue to include India in her probe. The Liberals have suggested her terms are wide enough to include any country as well as the Nijjar case.
B次元官网网址淚n my experience, as a Sikh-Canadian, there have always been suspicions that India was interfering in the democratic rights of Canadians,B次元官网网址� Singh wrote in the letter. B次元官网网址淵esterdayB次元官网网址檚 announcement by the prime minister confirms that these suspicions are valid.B次元官网网址�
Global Affairs Canada would not disclose the name of the diplomat that India has decided to expel. Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly said Monday that CanadaB次元官网网址檚 high commission has taken extra steps to protect its staff.
The United States, United Kingdom and Australia have all issued statements calling for theallegationsto be thoroughly probed.
B次元官网网址淲e are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau yesterday,B次元官网网址� the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement.
B次元官网网址淲e remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that CanadaB次元官网网址檚 investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice.B次元官网网址�
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc had confirmed Monday that the head of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 spy agency and TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 national security and intelligence adviser, Jody Thomas, both travelled to India recently to confront their counterparts about the issue.
ThomasB次元官网网址檚 predecessor, Vincent Rigby, said that would not have happened if Ottawa only had B次元官网网址渁 hunch or a gut feelingB次元官网网址� about the intelligence.
B次元官网网址淭hey have something, I suspect. I have a feeling itB次元官网网址檚 pretty concrete, and itB次元官网网址檚 enough to raise it to the most senior levels in the Indian government,B次元官网网址� Rigby said in an interview.
He said Washington will likely support Canada in private, but will need to sort out how much itB次元官网网址檚 willing to upset New Delhi as the U.S. undertakes a B次元官网网址渕ajor charm offensiveB次元官网网址� to secure more trade with India.
Nijjar was shot outside his gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., on June 18. Members of the Sikh community have accused the Indian government of being behind the killing and attempting to silence voices advocating for an independent Sikh country.
LeBlanc said Tuesday that the RCMP has a plan to look after members of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Sikh community, and he has instructed CSIS to share any pertinent information about NijjarB次元官网网址檚 death with police.
B次元官网网址淲e knew, as the prime minister has been saying for several weeks, that this news would at some point come out publicly. And the good news is that the RCMP has been developing plans for several weeks with their partners from other police forces,B次元官网网址� LeBlanc said in French.
He added that it is the jurisdiction of police officials, not government ministers, to determine who should receive protection and how.
B次元官网网址淚 have every confidence in the RCMP based on my extensive conversations with their leadership over the last number of months that they have the resources necessary and the plans in place to protect Canadians,B次元官网网址� LeBlanc saidin English.
Former foreign-affairs minister Marc Garneau said the situation is B次元官网网址渜uite an extraordinary eventB次元官网网址� and argued Trudeau needs to share more information if thereB次元官网网址檚 any hope of salvaging a relationship with a country of increasing importance to Canada.
B次元官网网址淣ow that itB次元官网网址檚 in the public arena, the onus is very much on Canada to demonstrate unequivocally that its claim is based on factual evidence, that is irrefutable evidence that India wonB次元官网网址檛 be able to deny,B次元官网网址� Garneau said in a Tuesday interview on an unrelated topic.
Garneau said India regularly raised the issue of Sikh extremists with him while in office, and that Ottawa was aware of New DelhiB次元官网网址檚 interference in Canada back when its Indo-Pacific strategy was first being drafted.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 always preferable to remain engaged, rather than close the door,B次元官网网址� he said. But to B次元官网网址渞esume productive relations,B次元官网网址� he said, B次元官网网址渨e need to resolve the extremely serious issue thatB次元官网网址檚 at hand.B次元官网网址�
Trudeau said he does not want to make things worse for relations with India.
B次元官网网址淲e are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them, and we want to work with the government of India to lay everything clear.B次元官网网址�
Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan suggested he hopes Canada can maintain normal relations with India despite the incident.
B次元官网网址淩ight now, weB次元官网网址檙e hopeful that the Indian government co-operates with the investigation. When it comes to all the other relationships that we have, we look forward to continuing as normal,B次元官网网址� he said.
Sajjan, who is Sikh, pushed back on the Indian governmentB次元官网网址檚 contention that Sikh extremists have senior roles in TrudeauB次元官网网址檚 government.
B次元官网网址淚ndiaB次元官网网址檚 been making those accusations for a very long time,B次元官网网址� he said, encouraging reporters to B次元官网网址渄raw your own conclusions.B次元官网网址�
Treasury Board President Anita Anand, the first Hindu person to become a federal cabinet minister, said itB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渁 very difficult timeB次元官网网址� for South Asians of any religion, noting her parents are from India.
She urged people to B次元官网网址渂e prudentB次元官网网址� and remain calm.
The National Council of Canadian Muslims is calling for non-partisan co-operation to uncover facts about the alleged B次元官网网址渟tate-sponsored terrorismB次元官网网址� and make sure nobody else is targeted.
B次元官网网址淭his is an unprecedented attack on Canadian sovereignty, full stop,B次元官网网址� the groupB次元官网网址檚 head Stephen Brown told reporters.
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