PMO won't say if Carney raised India's alleged role in killing of Canadian Sikh leader with Modi
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says Ottawa continues to have 'difficult conversations' with New Delhi about the 2023 killing of a Canadian Sikh leader, but the Prime Minister's Office has declined to say if the matter was raised earlier this week in talks between Mark Carney and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Mr. Carney ducked a question Tuesday about whether he and Mr. Modi had discussed the killing of the Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, during a one-on-one meeting that day at the G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alta.
The Globe and Mail pressed the PMO on Wednesday about whether Mr. Nijjar's slaying and Indian foreign interference were part of the discussions. Sikh organizations and human-rights activists have also sought clarification on the content of the discussion.
Press secretary Audrey Champoux would not comment on Wednesday. She referred The Globe to a statement the two leaders released Tuesday: 'Prime Minister Carney raised priorities on the G7 agenda, including transnational crime and repression, security, and the rules-based order.'
After the meeting, the two leaders announced that they would designate new high commissioners and restore regular diplomatic services to citizens in both countries.
Bilateral relations went into a deep freeze in 2024, after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said there was evidence linking agents of the Modi government to Mr. Nijjar's slaying.
Canada expelled the Indian high commissioner and five other diplomats over the killing. India denied any role and responded with similar diplomatic expulsions.
On Wednesday, the Public Safety Minister was asked to explain why Canada is resetting relations with the Modi government despite the Nijjar killing, and when Canada's spy agency is saying India is one of the top perpetrators of foreign interference in this country.
Mr. Anandasangaree told reporters that Canada has 'had difficult conversations with the Indian government and that will continue.'
'There is no way in which a third country can come into Canada and … using proxies be involved in the murder of a Canadian, and we have expressed our concerns over many months, and we will continue to do so,' he said.
A year after Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death, mysteries remain about how he really lived
Gurpatwant Pannun, general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, said the Prime Minister needs to publicly tell Canadians whether he questioned Mr. Modi about the role of Indian agents in the killing of Mr. Nijjar. The FBI foiled an alleged Indian plot to kill Mr. Pannun, a dual Canadian-U.S. citizen, in New York City last year.
'Accountability for Nijjar's killing cannot be sidestepped in the name of diplomacy or trade. Diplomatic normalization with the Modi regime must not come at the expense of justice and transparency,' Mr. Pannun said.
NDP MP Jenny Kwan, an outspoken human-rights activist, said in a June 17 letter to Mr. Carney that re-establishing diplomatic normalcy with India when it has yet to account for its role in the death of Mr. Nijjar 'sends a deeply painful message to Sikh Canadians who continue to live under threat.'
Major Sikh organizations and human-rights advocates also wrote a separate letter to Mr. Carney on Tuesday, saying the Nijjar killing was part of a co-ordinated campaign of transnational repression that 'continues to violate Canadian sovereignty.'
'Sikhs across the country are still receiving warnings from intelligence agencies about active threats to their lives,' the open letter states. 'To extend an invitation to the architect of these policies who proudly boasts that India 'enters the homes of its enemies and kills them' − without any public commitment to justice or accountability, undermines the very principles Canada is meant to uphold.'
However, foreign policy and security experts say Mr. Carney made the right decision to restart diplomatic relations with the world's most populous country and fourth-largest economy, while still pursuing accountability for the Nijjar killing.
If the Prime Minister is serious about diversifying trade away from the United States then he can't ignore India or China, said Jonathan Berkshire Miller, senior fellow and director of foreign affairs, national defence and national security at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
'We cannot afford diplomatic silence with a country so vital to the Indo-Pacific and global affairs,' he said. 'Diplomacy is not about agreeing on everything – it's about managing differences.'
Alan Jones, a former assistant director at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service who is executive adviser at the University of Ottawa Professional Development Institute, said there's no excuse for India going rogue and plotting murder.
But Mr. Carney is right not to take a 'sanctimonious' position and ignore the geopolitical and trade role that India plays in the world, he said.
'Carney is a businessman at heart and this is a business decision. I'm sure he knows full well that he will take some heat and be criticized for it. But at some point, you have to turn the page.'
Mr. Jones said Mr. Carney campaigned on fixing the economy and getting the country on stable economic, defence and security footing. 'I think most Canadians understand that,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Pledge to reach GDP goal ‘will earn Canada a little bit of a pass' ahead of NATO summit: analyst
Watch Political analyst Lori Williams on what to expect from Prime Minister Mark Carney when he heads to Belgium for the NATO summit.
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Story of Air India bombing should be 'embedded' in Canada's history, say Bob Rae
AHAKISTA, Ireland — Since the day that Air India Flight 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland 40 years ago, it has not been fully recognized as a Canadian tragedy, Ambassador Bob Rae said in an interview here. Article content Rae, Canada's ambassador to the United Nations, was tasked with reviewing the Air India terrorism case 20 years ago after two suspects were acquitted of all charges in twin bombings on June 23, 1985. Article content Article content Article content Less than an hour before a B.C.-made suitcase bomb detonated on Flight 182, killing all 329 aboard, two Japanese baggage handlers died when a Vancouver suitcase tagged for another Air India plane exploded at Tokyo's Narita Airport. Article content Article content 'That was one of the main things that I said in my report that I feel very strongly is that from the very beginning of the event, it was seen as somebody else's problem,' Rae said Sunday, after visiting the memorial in this quiet village on the west coast of Ireland. Article content 'It really was seen as sort of an event affecting the Indian community, ignoring the fact that the vast majority of the people on the flight were Canadians.' Rae said that 'there had been a real failure to recognize the level of extremism' that led to the unprecedented act of terrorism. Article content 'It was Canadians who built the bomb, Canadians who planned it,' he said. 'There was a huge degree of denial in the community that this was true. Many other theories were floated.' Article content Article content His report in November 2005 called for a public inquiry into the intelligence failures and investigative problems both before and after bombings. After Conservative Stephen Harper was elected prime minister months later, he appointed retired Supreme Court of Canada Justice John Major to head a broader judicial inquiry instead. Article content Article content While both measures increased recognition of Canada's worst mass murder, 'the narrative of what took place is still not embedded in the country,' Rae said. Article content 'We still have a lot of work to do make sure it's taught in schools and people understand this was the worst civil aviation disaster, proportionately every bit as important as 9/11.' Article content Working on his report, 'had a big impact on me. It really affected me emotionally, because families had a tremendous sense people weren't listening, they didn't understand the story, and didn't realize what it was,' Rae said.
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Carney travelling to Europe for security, defence talks with EU, NATO
Published Jun 22, 2025 • 4 minute read Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, June 19, 2025. Photo by PATRICK DOYLE / THE CANADIAN PRESS BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Europe on Sunday for back-to-back summits where he is expected to make major commitments for Canada on security and defence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Carney is being joined on the trip by Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Defence Minister David McGuinty and secretary of state for defence procurement Stephen Fuhr at the EU and NATO summits, where military procurement and diversifying supply chains will top the agendas. The international meetings come as Canada looks to reduce its defence procurement reliance on the United States due to strained relations over tariffs and President Donald Trump's repeated talk about Canada becoming a U.S. state. Carney flew first to Brussels, Belgium, and will begin the trip with a visit to the Antwerp Schoonselhof Military Cemetery where 348 Canadian soldiers are buried. He will also meet with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At the EU-Canada summit, Anand and McGuinty are expected to sign a security and defence agreement with the EU in what one European official described Friday as one of the most ambitious deals Europe has ever signed with a third country. The agreement will open the door to Canada's participation in the ReArm Europe initiative, allowing Canada to access a 150-billion-euro loan program for defence procurement, called Security Action for Europe. An EU official briefing reporters on Friday said once the procurement deal is in place, Canada will have to negotiate a bilateral agreement with the European Commission to begin discussions with member states about procurement opportunities. A Canadian official briefing reporters on the summit Saturday said the initial agreement will allow for Canada's participation in some joint procurement projects. However, a second agreement will be needed to allow Canadian companies to bid. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At the EU-Canada summit, leaders are also expected to issue a joint statement to underscore a willingness for continued pressure on Russia, including through further sanctions, and call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. After Brussels, Carney heads to The Hague in the Netherlands for the NATO leaders' summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. There, Carney will meet with the King of the Netherlands and later with leaders of Nordic nations to discuss Arctic and transatlantic security. At the NATO summit, Carney will take part in bilateral meetings with other leaders. The summit agenda includes a social dinner hosted by the king and queen of the Netherlands and a two-and-a-half-hour meeting of the North Atlantic Council. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. NATO allies are expected to debate a plan to hike alliance members' defence spending target to five per cent of national GDP. NATO data shows that in 2024, none of its 32 members spent that much. The Canadian government official who briefed reporters on background says the spending target and its timeline are still up for discussion, though some allies have indicated they would prefer a seven-year timeline while others favour a decade. Canada hasn't hit a five per cent defence spending threshhold since the 1950s and hasn't reached the two per cent mark since the late 1980s. NATO says that, based on its estimate of which expenditures count toward the target, Canada spent $41 billion in 2024 on defence, or 1.37 per cent of GDP. That's more than twice what it spent in 2014, when the two per cent target was first set; that year, Canada spent $20.1 billion, or 1.01 per cent of GDP, on defence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In 2014, only three NATO members achieved the two per cent target — the U.S., the U.K., and Greece. In 2025, all members are expected to hit it. Any agreement to adopt a new spending benchmark must be ratified by all 32 NATO member states. Former Canadian ambassador to NATO Kerry Buck told The Canadian Press the condensed agenda is likely meant to 'avoid public rifts among allies,' describing Trump as an 'uncertainty engine.' 'The national security environment has really, really shifted,' Buck said, adding allies next door to Russia face the greatest threats. 'There is a high risk that the U.S. would undercut NATO at a time where all allies are increasingly vulnerable.' Trump has suggested the U.S. might abandon its mutual defence commitment to the alliance if member countries don't ramp up defence spending. 'Whatever we can do to get through this NATO summit with few public rifts between the U.S. and other allies on anything, and satisfy a very long-standing U.S. demand to rebalance defence spending, that will be good for Canada because NATO's good for Canada,' Buck said. Carney has already made two trips to Europe this year — the first to London and Paris to meet with European allies and the second to Rome to attend the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV. Sports Sunshine Girls Columnists Editorial Cartoons NBA
