New Delhi: Appearing before the public inquiry on foreign interference in Canada’s federal elections, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Wednesday blamed the previous Stephen Harper government for “cosying up to India”. In contrast, he highlighted his own government’s efforts to defend minorities and their right to speak out “even if it irritates their home countries”.
He 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. On Monday, however, 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 we have stood up for Canadians, including in 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 freedoms 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 prime minister highlighted that the perception that the government would not defend these rights of Canadians is “simply misplaced”. Trudeau made these remarks while being cross-examined by Prabjot 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, Trudeau announced that the Canadian government was investigating “credible allegations” of a link between Indian government officials and the killing. India called the allegations “absurd and motivated”, 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 lives of the diplomats.
The public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada’s federal elections was first set up to examine Chinese and Russian interference during the 2019 and 2021 general elections. The mandate was extended earlier this year to include India. The inquiry is led by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue of the Quebec Court of Appeal.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has previously rejected any suggestion of interference by New Delhi in the general elections of Canada. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on 8 February 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, Trudeau did not bring up any allegations of Indian authorities interfering in Canadian elections. On Singh quizzing him about “failing 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.
Also read: Canada’s probe into Nijjar killing ‘tainted’, ‘show evidence’, says Indian envoy in Ottawa