Trudeau rakes up Nijjar killing, accuses former govt of 'cosy' relations with India

During a hearing of the foreign interference commission, headed by Quebec judge Marie-Josee Hogue, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the previous Conservative government of "cosy" relations with the current Indian government.

In contrast, he highlighted his own government’s efforts to defend minorities and their right to speak out. "Our government has always stood up to defend minorities in Canada and the rights of minorities to speak out even if it irritates their home countries overseas," Trudeau said.

Trudeau spoke on the issue of protecting Canadians, including addressing the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to a ANI report.

The Canadian PM testified on April 10, where he spoke about the measures his government had taken to address foreign interference since assuming power in 2015.

The Canadian PM offered no link between the Indian authorities and interference in Canadian elections, an allegation that was reinforced after the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) earlier last week suggested that India was one of the “two main state actors” involved in foreign interference in Canada – the other being China. India had rejected such allegations when they surfaced earlier this year. 

Asked about foreign interference during the 2019 elections and redacted parts in the 2019 annual report of the NSI, Trudeau said, “In a public setting, I can’t speak to redactions made for national security. But, I will say that the principle that anyone who comes to Canada from anywhere in the world has all the rights of a Canadian to be free from extortion, coercion, interference from a country that they left behind and how we have stood up for Canadians, including in the very serious case that I brought forward to Parliament of the killing of (Hardeep Singh) Nijjar, demonstrates our government’s commitment to defending the rights and freedoms of Canadians.”

Bilateral ties between the two countries nosedived after Canada's allegations of India's role in Nijjar's killings. India had blamed Trudeau and his party of vote-bank politics to woo Khalistanis ahead of the elections.

Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India, was shot dead in June 2023 in Surrey, British Columbia. In September, Trudeau announced that the Canadian government was investigating “credible allegations” of a link between Indian government officials and the killing. The ensuing diplomatic row saw Canada remove 41 diplomats and their dependents from India, while the Indian High Commission and consulates in Canada were closed temporarily due to threats posed to their lives. 

(With inputs from ANI)