Close X
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
ADVT 
National

Ties with India appear to have undergone 'a tonal shift': Canada's Trudeau

Darpan News Desk IANS, 20 Dec, 2023 01:09 PM
  • Ties with India appear to have undergone 'a tonal shift': Canada's Trudeau

Toronto, Dec 20 (IANS) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that Ottawa's relations with New Delhi appear to have undergone "a tonal shift", following US indictment of an Indian national in a plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil.

The US indictment appears to have convinced the Narendra Modi government to adopt a more sober tone, Trudeau told CBC news channel in a year-end interview.

"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," the Canadian PM said.

"There's an understanding that maybe, maybe just churning out attacks against Canada isn't going to make this problem go away."

India had rejected Trudeau's claims as "absurd and motivated" hours after the Prime Minister said in September that there are credible allegations of a potential link over India's involvement in Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing in Canada.

Trudeau told CBC that Canada does not want to be in a situation of having a fight with India right now over Nijjar's killing, and instead wants to work on the trade deal and advancing the Indo-Pacific strategy.

However, he added that it is "foundational for Canada to stand up for people's rights, for people's safety, and for the rule of law. And that's what we're going to do".

While New Delhi has constituted a high-level inquiry committee to look into the security concerns raised by the US government, it has asked Ottawa to show "concrete evidence" backing Trudeau's allegations.

India said that it is only asking for specific and relevant information so that it can help Canadian investigators reach their conclusion.

In his first public response to US allegations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday that the issue will be examined, but a few incidents cannot derail ties between India and the US.

"If someone gives us any information, we will definitely look into it. If a citizen of ours has done anything, good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law," Modi said.

Hours after the US charged Nikhil Gupta with conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Trudeau said that New Delhi needs to take the charge "seriously" and cooperate in the investigations.

Reacting to Trudeau's remarks, India's Ministry of External Affairs said, "as far as Canada is concerned, they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and violence. That is at the heart of the issue".

In an interview to Canadian Press last week, Trudeau said that his statement linking Indian agents to the killing of Nijjar was meant to deter India from repeating a similar action in the country. He said the message was intended as an extra 'level of deterrence' as "too many Canadians were worried that they were vulnerable".

MORE National ARTICLES

'It's never easy': Suspect dead, police officer injured in Calgary shootout

'It's never easy': Suspect dead, police officer injured in Calgary shootout
Flashing lights and police tape encircled a strip mall in northeast Calgary late Wednesday afternoon after a shootout that sent a police officer to hospital and left one suspect dead. Police say tactical team officers were executing a high-risk warrant at McKnight Village, in the northeastern community of Falconridge, at about 1 p.m.   

'It's never easy': Suspect dead, police officer injured in Calgary shootout

Atmospheric river passes in southern B.C., but area rivers still rising

Atmospheric river passes in southern B.C., but area rivers still rising
Rainfall warnings across Vancouver Island and the inner south coast have lifted in most areas, but the effects of British Columbia's first atmospheric river of autumn could take a little longer to ease. The B.C. River Forecast Centre posted flood watches across western Vancouver Island and for the Englishman River near Parksville, warning of levels seen only once every 10 years on some waterways.

Atmospheric river passes in southern B.C., but area rivers still rising

Tentative deal ends job action by teaching support staff at Simon Fraser University

Tentative deal ends job action by teaching support staff at Simon Fraser University
Nearly 1,600 members launched job action on Sept. 26 after being without a collective agreement for 19 months, forcing the cancellation of tutorials, labs, lectures, office hours and the marking of assignments. Key issues included wages, class size and pensions for instructors.  

Tentative deal ends job action by teaching support staff at Simon Fraser University

Overdose homicide in Nanaimo

Overdose homicide in Nanaimo
Mounties in Nanaimo say they're investigating the fatal drug overdose of a woman back in March that they now believe was a homicide.  The Nanaimo R-C-M-P says its serious crime unit is looking into the death of 52-year-old Wendy Head, who was found dead at a home in the city on March 7th.   

Overdose homicide in Nanaimo

Escalating theft and violence aside, London Drugs not considering closures: president

Escalating theft and violence aside, London Drugs not considering closures: president
London Drugs president Clint Mahlman says the company has no plans to close stores due to escalating violence and theft, though the issue has reached a "crisis point" for Canadian retailers. Mahlman says the company was disappointed to learn that a Vancouver city councillor said on social media that London Drugs was considering closing one of its main stores in the city, at the intersection of Granville and Georgia streets, due to crime. 

Escalating theft and violence aside, London Drugs not considering closures: president

Funding for BC hospitals

Funding for BC hospitals
Hospitals in Merrit, Oliver and Salmon Arm will get 7.5-million-dollars in permanent funding from the province to help stabilize physician emergency-room coverage. Health Minister Adrian Dix says challenges like worker recruitment and retention and the ongoing toxic-drug crisis are more prominent in rural and remote communities.  

Funding for BC hospitals