Carney won’t say if there’s Indian interference in Canada after cutting deals with Modi

Prime Minister Mark Carney wouldn’t take a stand Wednesday on whether he thinks Indian agents are actively interfering in Canada’s affairs, saying there’s an ongoing criminal matter related to the murder of a B.C. Sikh man and he doesn’t want to prejudice the outcome of that case.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference in Sydney, Australia — where he is working to expand economic and defence ties with the Commonwealth ally — Carney distanced himself from a government official who told reporters last week during a pre-trip background briefing that Indian interference activity in Canada is “not continuing.”

“If we believed that the government of India was actively interfering in any democratic process, we probably would not be taking this trip,” said the senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

That statement, among others from that briefing, prompted outrage among Sikhs and other Indo-Canadians who allege that criminal entities with ties to India have targeted them with extortion and violence. Vancouver Police warned one B.C. activist just days ago that his life could be in danger.

Carney said “I would not use those words,” when asked if he agreed with the official’s assessment that Indian meddling is over. Carney said there will be no “consequences” for that official.

But, Carney said he directly discussed the issues with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their recent visit. Canada’s approach is one of “vigilance and engagement,” he said.

“I will tell you that there is progress on these issues,” he said. “We will not tolerate foreign interference or transnational repression, by anyone — and I stress by anyone.”

WATCH | Carney on ‘progress’ with India on interference issue:

‘I would not use those words’: Carney asked if India is no longer a foreign interference threat

Speaking to reporters in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked if he agrees with a senior government official who said — on the condition that they not be named — that Ottawa no longer believes India is linked to foreign interference and transnational repression.

In 2023, former prime minister Justin Trudeau accused unnamed Indian agents of involvement in the fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.

Nijjar, an advocate for an independent Sikh homeland and president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was shot dead in Surrey, B.C.

Carney said weighing in on the larger interference issue could stymie the ongoing Nijjar case in which four alleged hitmen — all Indian nationals who arrived in Canada in recent years — are accused of carrying out the killing. The Globe and Mail published a report late Sunday about the alleged role Indian consular staff played in that death.

“There is a process underway. This is a criminal procedure and my job is to make sure that I do not say anything that prejudices the prospect of justice being served,” Carney said.

WATCH | The B.C. murder case at the centre of Indian interference allegations:

Court filing sheds new light on Nijjar killing — and alleged Indian government connection

U.S. prosecutors in Manhattan plan to introduce new evidence in a trial on the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C. — and the alleged role of the Indian government in arranging the hit.

Carney’s own secretary of state for combating crime, Ruby Sahota, has joined other Liberal MPs in saying New Delhi is still behind such activity, while India insists it has never engaged in interference.

During Carney’s visit with Modi, the two leaders signed a series of multimillion-dollar deals. They also agreed to pursue a free trade agreement by year’s end as Canada tries to diversify its trade away from the U.S. 

“This is not merely the renewal of a relationship. It is the expansion of a valued partnership with new ambition, focus, and foresight — a partnership between two confident countries charting our course for the future,” Carney said as he stood alongside Modi at a signing ceremony in Delhi.

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carney-modi-indian-interference-9.7113654?cmp=rss