These are explosive allegations. Canada believes there is “credible evidence” that India may be responsible for the killing of a Sikh leader in western Canada last June, Justin Trudeau said in a last-minute speech in Parliament on Monday. Ottawa announced the expulsion of a high-ranking Indian diplomat.
The Canadian prime minister, in a last-minute speech after urgently convening the opposition, estimated that there was “credible evidence that there was a possible link between agents of the Indian government and the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”
“The involvement of a foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil represents an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he continued. Justin Trudeau called on the Indian government “with the utmost determination” to work together to resolve this matter.
Justin Trudeau clarified that he had raised the issue “personally” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 summit in New Delhi in early September.
Close relationships
Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent months since the killing of the Sikh leader and subsequent protests in Canada. Ottawa, in particular, recently suspended negotiations on a free trade agreement with India.
Canadians demonstrated in Vancouver on June 24, 2023 following the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. – Ethan Cairns/AP/SIPA
New Delhi accuses the Canadian government of turning a blind eye to the activities of radical Sikh nationalists who are pushing for the creation of an independent Sikh state in northern India.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his “deep concern about the ongoing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada” when he met Justin Trudeau at the latest G20 meeting in India in early September.
Canada is the country with the largest number of Sikhs outside of their home state of Punjab in India.