Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that his government stood firm on the issue of protecting Canadians, including addressing the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead in Surrey last June.
During a hearing of the foreign interference commission formed to probe foreign influence in the country’s federal elections, Trudeau also slammed the previous Conservative government, accusing them of being “cozy” with the current Indian government.
“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 Nijjar, demonstrates our government’s commitment to defending the rights and freedoms of Canadians,” he said. “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.
Diplomatic relations soured after Trudeau last year said Canada was “actively pursuing credible allegations” that Indian agents were potentially linked to the death of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. India has denied all accusations and asked Ottawa to furnish solid proof. Testifying a day earlier, Canadian officials had denied any knowledge of India’s alleged role in influencing Canada’s federal elections. The senior Bureaucrats overseeing the 2021 election testified before a public hearing on foreign interference, dismissing any indication of Indian involvement in electoral processes.
During the hearing, panelists, including former Deputy Foreign Minister, Marta Morgan and Former Cabinet Secretary, Janice Charette, provided testimony indicating no evidence of Indian interference in the 2021 election. Morgan stated there was no information on Indian disinformation within the Canadian information ecosystem, while Charette highlighted the absence of Indian government tactics in the campaign.
Regarding funding from Indian sources to Canadian campaigns, panelists responded in the negative, further undermining allegations of Indian interference. The testimony comes amidst heightened scrutiny and a Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference by several countries Including China in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions. During the hearing, panelists stated that they found no evidence of Indian disinformation originating within the Canadian information ecosystem during the 2021 election.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier rejected Canada’s allegation of India influencing the Canadian electoral process. “It is not the Government of India’s policy to interfere in democratic processes of other countries. In fact, quite on the reverse, it is Canada which has been interfering in our internal affairs. We have been raising this issue regularly with them. We continue to call on Canada to take effective measures to address our core concerns,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
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