Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is growing complacent under increasing criticism. His other contentious move—inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 conference scheduled for June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alberta—has raised eyebrows. This invitation comes despite serious allegations that the Indian government orchestrated the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist, in British Columbia.
Our national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, came to a revolutionary decision. They argue that agents at the “highest levels” of the Indian government orchestrated Nijjar’s assassination. Modi’s government has vehemently rejected these accusations. They are abdicating to cooperate with Canadian law enforcement agents during the continuing investigation. Canadian authorities recently charged four Indian nationals in the murder of Nijjar. This announcement has made an already rocky diplomatic relationship between India and Canada even worse.
India, as one of the most important partners, was long seen as a key player to help save the decision defended today by Mark Carney. He specifically underscored that India today is the fifth largest economy in the world. His biggest reasons were that it’s the most populous country and it plays a central role in global supply chains. This was the first high-level conversation between Modi and Carney since Modi came to power in March. They went into great detail about the importance of cooperation on energy, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals.
“I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi and, in that context, he has accepted.” – Mark Carney
That’s when Canada’s Sikh community intensified their criticism. For most of those members, accepting this invitation was a betrayal of what they held to be core Canadian values. Danish Singh, a spokesperson for the World Sikh Organization, said that they were appalled by Carney’s choice.
“For Sikhs in Canada, this is a betrayal, not just of our community, but of core Canadian values. Prime Minister Carney’s decision to invite [Narendra Modi], while India continues to deny any role in the assassination of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar and refuses to cooperate with Canadian authorities, is both shameful and dangerous.” – Danish Singh
The World Sikh Organization rightly noted that inviting Modi given these circumstances and backdrop sends a deeply disturbing message. They argued Canada would never extend the same courtesies to leaders from other authoritarian regimes like Russia or China. This would be the case even under comparable allegations.
“We would never welcome leaders from Russia, China, or Iran under such circumstances. Yet India has done far more on Canadian soil in terms of foreign interference and transnational repression, including orchestrating murders, and is being rewarded with a red carpet welcome.” – Danish Singh
As the G7 summit fast approaches, things have only escalated. The Sikh community’s anger touches on transnational concerns about human rights, democracy and foreign interference should not be overlooked. Like those Canadians, we’re advocating to see Canada uphold the rule of law and foster international relationships that are rooted in respect for human rights.