Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified on Wednesday that India rejected “off ramps” to avoiding a diplomatic crisis after intelligence linked it to the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder in B.C. Instead of cooperating with Canada’s investigations, India pushed back and attacked Canada in response to the allegations. Trudeau detailed his attempts to resolve the dispute with India, which started when indications of India’s involvement in the murder emerged in late July and early August. Canada first reached out to Indian officials in August to inform them of the findings and try to work together in a responsible manner.
Trudeau explained that Canada could have made things uncomfortable for Prime Minister Narendra Modi by going public with the allegations before the G20 summit in September 2023, but chose to continue working behind the scenes to get India to cooperate. However, India was not interested in looking into the conduct of its security agencies and only wanted to know what Canada had on them. Despite efforts to resolve the issue, India continued to attack Canada instead of addressing the concerns, leading Trudeau to go public with his allegations about India’s role in the murder in late September 2023.
Upon returning to Ottawa, Trudeau found that India was still attacking Canada instead of cooperating. He decided to go public with the allegations to ensure that Canadian communities did not take action themselves and trusted Canadian institutions to address the threat. The Indian government responded with attacks and denials, ejecting dozens of Canadian diplomats and refusing to cooperate with Canadian officials in investigations. Trudeau emphasized that India’s response was to double down and attack Canada further, leading to a strained relationship between the two countries.
Canadian officials made another effort to secure India’s cooperation by asking them to lift immunity on six diplomats identified as “persons of interest” in investigations. India declined and launched a broadside against Trudeau, accusing him of playing politics. The RCMP uncovered evidence of India’s involvement in a wave of violent crime, including denying visas to Canadians and using cash payments to recruit informants. The operation targeted activists in the Khalistan movement and was approved by Amit Shah, a close aide to Prime Minister Modi. Trudeau reiterated the importance of India taking the allegations seriously and conducting their own investigations.
Trudeau emphasized the need for India to assist in uncovering whether the violence in Canada was authorized and directed by responsible members of the Indian government or if it was the work of rogue elements. Canadian investigators were limited in their ability to uncover internal machinations within the Indian government and urged India to work with them to address the serious violations of Canadian sovereignty. The ongoing dispute has strained relations between India and Canada, with India choosing to attack Canada instead of cooperating in investigations. Trudeau highlighted the importance of standing up for Canadian security and sovereignty while maintaining an important trade relationship with India.
