‘Clandestine info gathering, refusal to cooperate’, says Trudeau on why Canada expelled Indian diplomats

Defending the expulsion of the 6 Indian diplomats, Trudeau said in a statement that the activities by the Indian agents were posing a threat to public safety in Canada.

File photo of Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau | REUTERS/Blair Gable

New Delhi: As ties between India and Canada hit new lows, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement Tuesday, defending his government’s decision to expel six Indian diplomats after accusing agents of the Indian government of engaging in activities that pose a threat to public safety in Canada.

In a 45-minute press briefing, Trudeau announced that the six agents are persons of interest in criminal activities. Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that Ottawa had requested India to waive “diplomatic immunity” for the six individuals, but when New Delhi refused, they were expelled.

She added that India should cooperate with Canada in the investigation. “…They’re doing it with the US, they can do it with us as well,” she said.

Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the US’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will share information on the case, said Joly, and Ottawa intends to involve members of the Five Eyes alliance and the G7 on the matter.

Since last year, India has been cooperating with the US regarding a federal investigation into an alleged murder plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Later this week, an Indian enquiry committee—set up last November to investigate the alleged foiled plot to assassinate Pannun—is scheduled to travel to Washington D.C. to meet the American authorities.

Last September, ties between India and Canada began to deteriorate after Trudeau claimed that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India later insisted that Canada reduce its diplomatic staff to achieve “mutual parity” in strength and the latter eventually withdrew 41 diplomats from India.

On Monday night, after Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Verma was named a “person of interest” in an investigation, India summoned Canada’s Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler, and later expelled him, along with five other Canadian diplomats.

 

‘Clandestine information gathering’

In his statement to the media, Trudeau accused Indian diplomats in Canada of “clandestine information gathering” and engaging in activities that pose a threat to public safety.

“The RCMP has clear and compelling evidence that agents of the Government of India have engaged in, and continue to engage in, activities that pose a significant threat to public safety,” he said. “This includes clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder. This is unacceptable.”

The involvement of a foreign government in threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil, he said, is a violation of Canada’s sovereignty and of international law.

India ‘refused’ cooperation

In his statement, Trudeau also said that last weekend, Canadian officials met with Indian officials to share evidence that six agents of the Indian government are “persons of interest” in criminal activities in India, but India refused to cooperate.

He said that attempts have been made by the RCMP and national security officials to work with the Indian law enforcement counterparts on this matter, though they have been “repeatedly refused”.

“That is why, this weekend, Canadian officials took an extraordinary step. They met with Indian officials to share RCMP evidence, which concluded six agents of the Government of India are persons of interest in criminal activities. And despite repeated requests to the Government of India, they have decided not to cooperate,” he added.

Expulsion of Indian diplomats

Defending his government’s decision to expel the six Indian diplomats, the Canadian prime minister said that these individuals must leave Canada, and that they will no longer be able to act as diplomats there, nor to re-enter the country.

“Once again, we call on the Government of India to cooperate with us on this investigation—to put an end to its inaction and misleading rhetoric, to recognise the credibility and severity of the evidence and information we have shared so far, and to reiterate, in no uncertain terms, that its position on extrajudicial operations abroad will henceforth be unequivocally aligned with international law,” said Trudeau.

“Canada will always defend the rule of law and the fundamental principles on which free and democratic societies are based.”

‘Threat to public safety’

The Canadian prime minister alleged that activities by agents of the Indian government were posing a serious threat to public safety in Canada, especially against the South Asian community.

“The evidence brought to light by the RCMP cannot be ignored. It leads to one conclusion: it is necessary to disrupt the criminal activities that continue to pose a threat to public safety in Canada. That is why we acted. Because we will always—first and foremost—stand for the right of Canadians to feel safe and secure in their own country,” said Trudeau.

Canadian police and security agencies are using all the tools at their disposal to keep Canadians safe and the RCMP are taking additional steps to protect Canadians, he announced.

“I know the events of the past year and today’s revelations have shaken many Canadians, particularly those in Indo-Canadian and Sikh communities. Many of you are angry, upset and frightened. I get that,” he added. “This shouldn’t happen. Canada and India have a long and storied history rooted in strong people-to-people ties and business investments, but we cannot abide by what we are seeing right now. Canada fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, and we expect India to do the same for us.”

(Edited by Mannat Chugh)