Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Carney sidesteps question on alleged role India played in Nijjar killing and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
Prime Minister Mark Carney began a multi-day overseas trip in India on Feb. 26.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he won’t comment on the role the Indian government is alleged to have played in the assassination of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Mr. Carney said there is a criminal process under way and he does not want to jeopardize it.
He also sidestepped a question of whether he believes the Indian government is currently involved in acts of extortion or violence inside Canada.
India dismisses allegation of link between Indian consulate and Nijjar assassination
But, he said he directly discussed the issues with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their recent visit.
Mr. Carney’s remarks are the first he’s made to the media since he began a multi-day overseas trip in India on Feb. 26. He is currently in Sydney, Australia.
Mr. Carney told reporters that Canada’s approach to foreign interference, transnational regression and extortion is one of “vigilance and engagement.”
Carney sits with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the India-Canada CEO Forum in New Delhi on March 2.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
He said that since Canada and India began a reset of relations, there have been dialogues at the national security level, on defence and between foreign affairs ministers.
“They’ve been frank discussions and including in my meetings with Prime Minister Modi, including in Delhi two days ago,” he said.
Ahead of the trip, a senior government official briefing reporters had said the Canadian government does not believe India is still meddling in this country through foreign interference, transnational repression or violence, activities Ottawa has previously linked to New Delhi.
The statement marked a significant change from 16 months ago, when Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the country’s high commissioner. Then-prime minister Justin Trudeau had accused Indian diplomats of being part of a campaign of violence against Canadians.
Evidence links Indian officials at Vancouver consulate to killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Mr. Carney was asked Tuesday whether he agrees with Mr. Trudeau but he wouldn’t say. When a reporter put those remarks to Mr. Carney on Tuesday, Mr. Carney said he would not use the same words as the senior official.
He said Canada remains vigilant and continues to monitor for interference, adding he receives regular briefings whose contents he can’t share in public.
“I will tell you that there is progress on these issues, and that progress is a product, in my judgment, of the resources we’re putting in. It’s a product of the clarity of our position: we will not tolerate foreign interference, transnational repression, by anyone,” he said.
“And I stress, by anyone.”
Signs of Hardeep Singh Nijjar at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C. on May 3, 2024.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
The Globe and Mail has also reported that Canadian national-security officials were presented with evidence that Indian consular staff in Vancouver had supplied information to assist in the assassination of Mr. Nijjar.
The Globe reported that an Indian intelligence officer, Kanwaljit Singh, had worked as a visa official in the consulate while also gathering information about Mr. Nijjar from members of the Indian diaspora in Surrey, B.C., according to a law-enforcement source.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has dismissed the report.
Periasamy Kumaran, a senior secretary in India’s Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters Monday in New Delhi that his country strongly denies any involvement in the 2023 slaying that frayed India’s relationship with Canada.
“India categorically rejects allegations of involvement in transnational violence or organized crime. These claims are baseless, politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence,” he said.
Ahead of Mr. Carney’s trip, the World Sikh Organization (WSO), a critic of Mr. Modi’s India, said the statements from the Canadian government “don’t reflect the reality being experienced” by members of the Sikh community in Canada.
“We are seeing individuals being harassed by Indian officials and families being intimidated. I can say with complete conviction that the claim by the government official is utterly false,” Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for the WSO, said.
With a report from Greg Mercer and Mike Hager