The British Columbia Sikh temple whose president was allegedly murdered by agents of the Indian government has written to Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing “deep disappointment” that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the upcoming G7 meeting.
Last week, Modi confirmed he would attend the meeting, to be held in Kananaskis, Alta., from June 15 to 17.
The move comes amid elevated tensions between the two countries following allegations of foreign interference and former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s public claims linking “agents of the Indian government” to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara and prominent advocate for an independent Sikh state.
In the letter, the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society cites those allegations, which they say were further validated last October when Canadian law enforcement confirmed clandestine operations by Indian agents in Canada, and the subsequent expulsion of six Indian diplomats.
“We all feel it is adding insult to injury and the community is reeling from continuous violence over the last several years that has been carried out by agents of the inidan government as per the foreign affairs commission,” said Moninder Singh, spokesperson for the Sikh Federation Canada.
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“This new signalling of a softening of relations … it just signals that Sikh lives, Canadian lives, the sovereignty of the country as well which has been undermined by India, all of that is secondary to issues of economics and trade and diplomacy which shouldn’t be the case ever for a country like Canada.”
The letter calls for Modi’s invitation to be withdrawn and all further diplomatic engagements with India to be paused until the investigation of Nijjar’s murder is complete.
“The Sikh community perceives this diplomatic action as undermining Canada’s commitment to justice, citizen safety, and national sovereignty, potentially signalling tolerance for state-sponsored violence and foreign interference,” it states.
India has denied any involvement in Nijjar’s killing.
During a press conference on Friday, Carney avoided giving a yes or no answer when repeatedly asked if he believed Modi was involved in Nijjar’s killing.
“There is a legal process that is literally underway and quite advanced in Canada, and it’s never appropriate to make comments,” Carney said.
“My message is that we are a country of the rule of law, the rule of law is proceeding as it should in Canada, and I am not going to disrupt that process.”
Carney has said Modi is being invited to the conference, despite foreign interference concerns, because the meeting would tackle energy security and building infrastructure, and India should be involved in those discussions.
His office later said Ottawa’s top priority for the summit will be strengthening global peace and security, which includes countering foreign interference and transnational crime.
Surrey Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal said he has received dozens of complaints from constituents, and is encouraging the prime minister to reconsider the invite.
“All of the events that are happening, some of that I can’t even mention, that people are worried about their lives right now. So it is sending the wrong message basically, they are telling me,” he told Global News on Saturday.
Singh said Sikh groups in Canada are calling on MPs of both parties to speak out against the invite, and to affirm a commitment to a public inquiry on India’s transnational repression. He also called on the government to end any intelligence sharing with India.
The groups plan to meet with both Liberal and opposition MPs this week to press their case.
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