Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he had a “brief exchange” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a summit in Laos this week, a year after he accused the Indian government of involvement in the murder of an activist Canadian Sikh in BC
It's the second time Trudeau has come face-to-face with Modi since relations cooled in September 2023, after Trudeau rose to the House of Commons and said Canada was seeking “credible allegations” of a link to India in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Trudeau did not reveal exactly what he told Modi at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, but said he told Modi there are real issues that need to be resolved.
“I emphasized that there is work we need to do,” Trudeau told reporters at a press conference in Laos.
“I'm not going to go into detail about what we talked about, but what I've said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government, and that's what I'm going to stay focused on. .”
Nijjar was shot to death by masked men outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June 2023. Four Indian nationals are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in connection with his murder. The high-profile case is currently making its way through Canadian courts.
Just yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly classified Canada's relations with India as “tense” and “very difficult” at this time. She said there is still a threat of more murders like Nijjar's on Canadian soil.
The safety of Canadians is the priority: Trudeau
She testified at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference that she has been pressing India to participate in the Canadian police investigation into Nijjar's death, but so far this has not happened and she is concerned about the safety of other Canadians.
“We ask for the Indian government's cooperation because in the end we want to hold accountable all those who were involved in Nijjar's murder and especially we want to prevent further murders because the threat exists,” she said. .
Asked by CBC News about this threat, Trudeau said the safety of Canadians is a priority.
“We are seeing troubling patterns of violence affecting Indo-Canadians across the country in recent months, and this is an issue that I can guarantee we will continue to be very, very concerned about,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau made the comment at a press conference in Vientiane, Laos, following the end of the ASEAN Summit.
Modi also traveled to the summit and spoke to a range of world leaders, including a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, one of Canada's Five Eyes intelligence alliance partners.
Modi did not have a bilateral meeting with Trudeau. The prime minister's office has not released any details about exactly when and where Trudeau and Modi spoke at the summit.
Tensions between the Canadian and Indian governments are higher than ever following the arrest of three Indian citizens in the murder of BC Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India initially denied any involvement in the killing, called the allegation “absurd” and accused Canada of harboring violent extremists.
Trudeau said Friday in Laos that he supports his claim. He said national security agencies and law enforcement “remain deeply engaged on this issue.”
“What I will say is that the statement I made around credible allegations of India's involvement in the deaths of Canadians on Canadian soil remains valid, that our responsibility as a government to keep Canadians safe in their homes and in their communities across the world country remains one of this government’s main concerns,” he said.
US investigates alleged assassination plot
After Canada released its allegations, the US later reported that it was investigating an alleged assassination plot with links to India and Nijjar.
An unsealed US indictment In November 2023, alleged officials in New Delhi offered drug trafficker Nikhil Gupta $100,000 to hire a hitman to kill American-Canadian citizen and Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. The US indictment said New Delhi authorities also considered tasking Gupta with killing Nijjar.
India responded to the US allegations by stating that it had launched an investigation – a distinctly different reaction from its response to Trudeau's statement in the House of Commons. Bloomberg News reported in March that India's investigation indicated that “rogue agents” not authorized by the government were involved in the US case.
Trudeau declined to comment on the difference between how India responded to the U.S. allegations compared to the Canadian allegations when asked by CBC News about it in Laos.
On the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time since Canada publicly accused the Indian government of involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The last time Trudeau and Modi spoke face to face was in June, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy. The prime minister's office described the exchange as a “brief discussion on the bilateral relationship” but declined to share details.
Trudeau told CBC News in July he saw an opening to get involved with India after Modi was re-elected. Trudeau said Friday that Canada needs to “continue to develop our commercial ties and our people-to-people ties, but there are real issues that we need to address and we will continue to focus on that.”
Trudeau is expected to testify at the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference underway in Ottawa on Wednesday and could face more questions about threats from India.
