Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos, nearly a year after Trudeau accused India of involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Khalistani separatist. This brief exchange took place during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, on Thursday. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC News), Trudeau described their interaction as a “brief exchange” but emphasized the need for ongoing work between the two nations.
“I won’t go into details about what we talked about, but what I’ve said many times is that the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government, and that’s what I’ ll stay focused on,” he told reporters during a press conference. Trudeau said that Canada must continue to strengthen its trade and people-to-people ties with India, “but there are real issues that we must address, and we will remain focused on those.”
Breaking: Canada PM Justin Trudeau says had a “brief exchanged” with PM Modi in Laos
Says, “Safety of Canadians & upholding rule of law fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government”. Adds “real issues (with India) we need to solve”
Source: CPAC pic.twitter.com/GSqFcSyUC1 — Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) October 11, 2024
The relationship between India and Canada has been under strain since last September when Trudeau alleged a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. India, which designated Nijjar as a terrorist. in 2020, vehemently rejected Trudeau’s claims, labeling them as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Tensions have been exacerbated by India’s stance that Canada is harboring pro-Khalistani elements that operate with impunity. Trudeau acknowledged this concern, saying, “We are seeing troubling patterns of violence affecting Indo-Canadians right across the country over the past number of months, and this is an issue that I can assure you that we will continue to be very, very seized with.”
Despite the tensions, Trudeau reaffirmed his position, insisting that national security agencies and law enforcement are “deeply engaged on this issue.” His comments follow statements from Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, who, during a recent public inquiry into foreign interference, described relations with India as “tense” and “very difficult.” She noted that there remains a threat of further killings like Nijjar’s on Canadian soil and expressed her efforts to engage India in the investigation surrounding his death.
The last meeting between Modi and Trudeau took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy in June, marking their first interaction since the Nijjar allegations surfaced.
