‘It’s a bad idea,’ Liberal MP says of Indian PM meeting with world leaders in Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing some pushback from his caucus over Canada’s decision to invite the Indian prime minister to the G7 meeting in Alberta next week, with one Sikh MP saying it’s a “bad idea.”
B.C. MP Sukh Dhaliwal told reporters he met with Carney early Wednesday to express what he says are constituents’ frustrations with the decision to include Narendra Modi. Canadian police have alleged Indian agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian Khalistani separatist who was gunned down in B.C. in 2023.
Nijjar and others in that movement have been calling for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India called Khalistan, which Modi’s government has vigorously opposed and denounced as a national security threat.
“The RCMP has clearly stated there’s credible evidence Indian agents were involved in the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil,” Dhaliwal said of Nijjar. “It’s a bad idea” to include Modi in this high-profile get-together, he said. Dhaliwal said Carney is “alarmed” by the Nijjar case and taking seriously what would be an egregious violation of Canadian sovereignty. Canada expelled some Indian diplomats after the allegations were made public. A police investigation into alleged Indian involvement is ongoing but the government has already said there are “linkages” between the four Indian nationals arrested and charged with Nijjar’s murder and the Indian government.
Dhaliwal said Carney is “very strong” on the issue and will represent Sikh concerns about Indian interference and transnational crime when speaking to Modi.
“I’m saying it’s not a good idea, but now he’s invited. We have to move forward,” he said.
‘Our government needs to take a firm stand’
Another Liberal B.C. MP, Gurbux Saini, said his voters are “concerned.”
“What is happening is wrong and our government needs to take a firm stand,” he said of India’s alleged actions. Beyond the Nijjar killing, the Foreign Interference Commission’s final report also identified India as a top meddler in Canadian affairs.
The commission reviewed intelligence suggesting Indian-aligned proxies may have clandestinely provided financial support to various Canadian politicians to try and get more pro-Indian candidates elected.
The report also found that India has used “disinformation” to further its goals in Canada… Source: cbc.ca/news/politics/
