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Allies, India heard about Nijjar concerns before Trudeau told public

PM urged India to take allegations seriously, India calls claims 91Ƶabsurd and motivated91Ƶ
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, after making a statement that Canadian authorities had intelligence that India was responsible for the June fatal shooting of a prominent Sikh leader in Surrey, B.C., on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Trudeau is calling on India to take seriously allegations that the country had a role in the death of a Canadian citizen. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back Tuesday on India91Ƶs denial of allegations that it played a role in the death of a Canadian citizen, which New Delhi blasted as 91Ƶabsurd and motivated.91Ƶ

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 91Ƶcredible91Ƶ information about 91Ƶa potential link91Ƶ between India91Ƶs government and the death of British Columbia Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Trudeau said Tuesday thatIndia91Ƶs government 91Ƶneeds to take this matter with the utmost seriousness91Ƶ but would not say whether it is co-operating.

91ƵIt is extremely serious and it has far-reaching consequences in international law,91Ƶ he told reporters on Parliament Hill.

Trudeau said he waited until he was able to raise the issue with allies and with India91Ƶs 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.

91ƵWe wanted to make sure that we had a solid grounding in understanding what was going on in analysis and indeed in facts,91Ƶ Trudeau said.

91ƵWe 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.91Ƶ

On Monday,Ottawa ordered a senior Indian diplomat to leave Canada, and India responded by sending an unnamed Canadian diplomat packing, citing unspecified 91Ƶinterference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.91Ƶ

India91Ƶs ministry of external affairs said after Trudeau91Ƶs announcement that it rejects the accusations, arguing they mean to distract from Sikh separatists in Canada that New Delhi argue pose a security risk.

91ƵThe inaction of the Canadian government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern,91Ƶ reads a statement from the ministry, which was posted before Trudeau91Ƶs 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 India91Ƶs 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.

91ƵWe need to see more facts. The prime minister hasn91Ƶt provided any facts,91Ƶ 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-Josée 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.

91ƵIn my experience, as a Sikh-Canadian, there have always been suspicions that India was interfering in the democratic rights of Canadians,91Ƶ Singh wrote in the letter. 91ƵYesterday91Ƶs announcement by the prime minister confirms that these suspicions are valid.91Ƶ

Global Affairs Canada would not disclose the name of the diplomat that India has decided to expel. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Monday that Canada91Ƶs 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.

91ƵWe are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau yesterday,91Ƶ the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement.

91ƵWe remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada91Ƶs investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice.91Ƶ

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc had confirmed Monday that the head of Canada91Ƶs spy agency and Trudeau91Ƶs national security and intelligence adviser, Jody Thomas, both travelled to India recently to confront their counterparts about the issue.

Thomas91Ƶs predecessor, Vincent Rigby, said that would not have happened if Ottawa only had 91Ƶa hunch or a gut feeling91Ƶ about the intelligence.

91ƵThey have something, I suspect. I have a feeling it91Ƶs pretty concrete, and it91Ƶs enough to raise it to the most senior levels in the Indian government,91Ƶ Rigby said in an interview.

He said Washington will likely support Canada in private, but will need to sort out how much it91Ƶs willing to upset New Delhi as the U.S. undertakes a 91Ƶmajor charm offensive91Ƶ 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 Canada91Ƶs Sikh community, and he has instructed CSIS to share any pertinent information about Nijjar91Ƶs death with police.

91ƵWe 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,91Ƶ 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.

91ƵI 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,91Ƶ LeBlanc saidin English.

Former foreign-affairs minister Marc Garneau said the situation is 91Ƶquite an extraordinary event91Ƶ and argued Trudeau needs to share more information if there91Ƶs any hope of salvaging a relationship with a country of increasing importance to Canada.

91ƵNow that it91Ƶs 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 won91Ƶt be able to deny,91Ƶ 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 Delhi91Ƶs interference in Canada back when its Indo-Pacific strategy was first being drafted.

91ƵIt91Ƶs always preferable to remain engaged, rather than close the door,91Ƶ he said. But to 91Ƶresume productive relations,91Ƶ he said, 91Ƶwe need to resolve the extremely serious issue that91Ƶs at hand.91Ƶ

Trudeau said he does not want to make things worse for relations with India.

91ƵWe 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.91Ƶ

Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan suggested he hopes Canada can maintain normal relations with India despite the incident.

91ƵRight now, we91Ƶre 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,91Ƶ he said.

Sajjan, who is Sikh, pushed back on the Indian government91Ƶs contention that Sikh extremists have senior roles in Trudeau91Ƶs government.

91ƵIndia91Ƶs been making those accusations for a very long time,91Ƶ he said, encouraging reporters to 91Ƶdraw your own conclusions.91Ƶ

Treasury Board President Anita Anand, the first Hindu person to become a federal cabinet minister, said it91Ƶs 91Ƶa very difficult time91Ƶ for South Asians of any religion, noting her parents are from India.

She urged people to 91Ƶbe prudent91Ƶ and remain calm.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims is calling for non-partisan co-operation to uncover facts about the alleged 91Ƶstate-sponsored terrorism91Ƶ and make sure nobody else is targeted.

91ƵThis is an unprecedented attack on Canadian sovereignty, full stop,91Ƶ the group91Ƶs head Stephen Brown told reporters.

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