Appearing before public inquiry on foreign interference in Canada’s federal elections, the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed the previous government led by Stephen Harper for cosying up to India. In contrast, he highlighted his own government efforts to defeat minorities and their right to speak out even if it irritates home countries.
He offered no link between Indian authorities and interference with 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 actors involved in foreign interference in Canada, the other being China.
On April 8, 2024, the Canadian government officials maintained that there was no suggestion of Indian interference and India had also rejected such allegations when they surfaced earlier this year.
Speaking before the inquiry commission, Trudeau said, “The principle is that anyone who comes to Canada from anywhere in the world has all the rights of a Canadian to be free from extortion, coercion and interference from a country they left behind. And how have we stood up for Canadians including the serious case I brought forward to Parliament of the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Trudeau added, that bringing forward the case of Nijjar to the Parliament demonstrates our government’s commitment to defending the rights and freedom of Canadians which are the reasons for which so many people crossed oceans and continents to come live in this country and build this country.
The PM also highlighted that the perception of the government that would defend these rights of Canadians is simply misplaced. Trudeau made these remarks while being cross examined by Prabhjot Singh, the counsel appearing on behalf of the Sikh coalition.
Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India was killed in June 2023, outside a gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia. In September 2023, Trudeau announced that the Canadian government was investigating credible allegations of a link between Indian government officials and the killing of Nijjar.
India called the allegations absurd and unmotivated and the ensuing diplomatic row saw Canada forced to 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 the Indian Diplomats.
The public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s federal elections was first set upto examine Chinese and Russian interference in the 2019 and 2020 elections. The mandate was extended earlier this year to include India the inquiry is led by Justice Marie Josee Hogue of the Quebec Court Appeal.
The Ministry of External Affairs (India) has previously rejected any suggestion of interference by New Delhi in the general elections of Canada. The MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on February 8, 2023, called the allegations baseless and also said that New Delhi had raised the issue of Canadian interference in the internal affairs of India.
During the cross examination by Singh, the Trudeau did not bring any allegations of Indian authorities of interfering with the Canada elections. On Singh quizzing him for failure to act on repression activities by the Indian government during the period 2019-2021, the Canadian prime minister blamed the previous Conservative government for “cosying up to India”.
Trudeau said, “I think that is certainly a question that one needs to ask of the previous Conservative government that was known for its very cosy relationship with the current Indian government.”
“Whereas 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,” he added.
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