Sikhs uneasy after Mark Carney meets with India's Narendra Modi at G7 summit

Hamilton Spectator

20-06-2025

OTTAWA—Sikh groups say they remain 'uneasy' after Canada and India appeared to broker a détente on the sidelines of the G7 summit following nearly two years of strained relations.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney and India's Narendra Modi took part in a bilateral meeting, where they agreed to name new high commissioners in their respective countries, reaffirmed the importance of Canada-India ties, and discussed how to deepen their trading relationship.
But Balpreet Singh, a lawyer with the World Sikh Organization, told the Star any reset with India must be accompanied by public acknowledgments from the country about its role in an alleged campaign of violence on Canadian soil.
'Has anything really changed, practically speaking, on the ground? Have there been any commitments from India that they will co-operate with the ongoing investigations? Have there been any commitments with respect to, in the future, not targeting members of the Sikh community in Canada?' Singh said.
Sikh leaders are accusing Prime Minister Mark Carney of putting economic interests ahead of
According to the Canadian readout of the tête-à-tête, Carney raised in the meeting 'priorities on the G7 agenda, including transnational crime and repression, security, and the rules-based order.'
Canadian officials say important progress was made, with the leaders agreeing their respective police agencies would begin co-operating.
That means Canadian and Indian police agencies could exchange information related to the 2023 killing of a Sikh independence leader in Surrey, B.C., and potentially on a range of other cases Canada is investigating.
The shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, outside a B.C. gurdwara led to a diplomatic row between Canada and India's Hindu nationalist government when, several months after the killing, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau revealed stunning allegations that there was credible evidence linking the incident to Indian government agents.
Last fall, the RCMP also alleged that Indian diplomats and consular officials in Canada were connected to killings, violence and intimidation against Canadians, prompting both countries to expel top diplomats. At the time, Ottawa said its expulsions were related to the campaign of violence and said India failed to co-operate in the investigation.
In news conferences following Tuesday's meeting, Carney did not directly answer questions about whether the Nijjar case had been raised with the Indian prime minister.
On Thursday, he said he and Modi discussed 'law enforcement co-operation,' particularly as it related to transnational repression, which occurs when states target and intimidate critical voices outside their borders, but said he would 'never make it a policy to give a line-by-line transcript readout.'
At the summit, Carney told reporters there was a 'judicial process' underway and that he could not speak openly about the matter.
The prime minister has emphasized the rebuilding of the Canada-India relationship and the need to reinstate consular services to serve citizens and businesses with ties to both countries.
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Balpreet Singh said the prime minister should have also outlined how new consular staff will be vetted to ensure they don't have links to threatening activity.
'For us, that makes us feel very uneasy,' he said.
Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for Sikh Federation Canada, said Carney's decision not to be unequivocal of what was conveyed in the meeting about certain cases is a problem.
'It doesn't help dispel the concerns that the Sikh community, or maybe Canadians, have in general. It just kind of adds to, 'Did they or didn't they?' and then we have to wait and see,' he said, adding that the 'wait-and-see game' puts more Sikhs at risk.
The bilateral meeting took place a day before the two-year anniversary of Nijjar's death outside the Guru Nanak Sikh gurdwara, where Moninder Singh said several thousand people gathered Wednesday evening.
He said discussions arose there about what exactly Carney and Modi agreed to behind closed doors.
At the summit — in sharp contrast to Trudeau's tough talk last fall — Carney offered a warm welcome for Modi, greeting the Indian leader with a firm handshake at the gathering's official welcome.
At the start of their meeting, Carney offered high praise for Modi in front of the cameras, saying that it is 'my great honour to have you here.'
Carney told Modi his inclusion at every G7 summit since 2019 is 'a testament to the importance of your country, to your leadership and to the importance of the issues that we look to tackle together,' including on energy security, artificial intelligence and the fight against terrorism.
On Wednesday, the Canadian Intelligence and Security Service released its 2024 public report, which said Canada 'must remain vigilant about continued foreign interference conducted by the government of India, not only within ethnic, religious and cultural communities but also in Canada's political system.'
The report also noted that 'real and perceived Khalistani extremism,' which seeks to use violent means to form an independent Sikh state in India, was driving Indian foreign interference activities in Canada. It said Canada is also home to 'legitimate and peaceful campaigning' in support of that movement.