Mark Carney accused of dismissing Sikh's concerns by inviting India's Narendra Modi to G7 summit

Hamilton Spectator

a day ago

OTTAWA—Sikh leaders are accusing Prime Minister
Mark Carney
of putting economic interests ahead of concerns about their community's safety in
inviting Indian prime minister Narendra Modi
to next week's G7 summit amid allegations of threats from the Indian government.
At a press conference on Parliament Hill, leaders of the World Sikh Organization and the B.C. Gurdwaras Council also raised concerns about a Global News report that former NDP Leader
Jagmeet Singh
was being tracked by an Indian government agent while he was the elected leader of a major Canadian political party.
Singh told the Star in April that he, his wife and his family were placed under 24-hour armed RCMP protection because of
credible death threats
linked to unspecified foreign government interference.
'That's absolutely unprecedented. As far as we're concerned, that's an act of war,' World Sikh Organization lawyer Balpreet Singh told reporters Thursday, referring to the Global News allegations against India.
'If Jagmeet Singh, who is the highest profile Sikh in Canada, isn't safe, then what does that mean for the rest of us?'
Audrey Champoux, a spokesperson from Carney's office, did not address the report about the former NDP leader, but provided a statement to the Star that defended the government's invitation to Modi.
'As prime minister of the fifth-largest economy and the world's most populous country, Prime Minister Modi was invited to participate in some of these critical discussions,' Champoux's statement said of the G7.
'Importantly, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Modi agreed to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions to address serious security concerns.'
The Indian High Commission in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The Star was not able to reach the former NDP leader.
Gurratan Singh, the former NDP leader's brother and a former New Democrat MPP at Queen's Park, condemned the federal government for 'rolling out the red carpet' for Modi in what seemed like placing business interests over the safety of Sikh Canadians.
'It's completely unacceptable. Sadly, it's not shocking. And more than anything it reaffirms this feeling of betrayal,' Gurratan said, echoing the calls to cancel Modi's invitation.
On Parliament Hill, Balpreet Singh called on the Liberal government to rescind the invitation for Modi to attend the G7 meetings in Kananaskis, Alta. next week. They also demanded a public inquiry into Indian government activity in Canada, and for the government to cancel all intelligence-sharing that occurs with India.
Balpreet Singh added that Carney's justification for inviting Modi, in which he spoke to reporters about ongoing police investigations and supply chains with the Asian economic power, 'felt like a betrayal' to Sikh Canadians.
Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the B.C. Gurdwaras Council and Sikh Federation Canada added: 'We do have a problem where we're seeing trade and economic ties that are now overriding human rights and the lives of Canadian citizens and their safety.' He said his organization is considering telling Liberal MPs to visit their Gurdwaras.
'For us, it's a deep sense of betrayal at the moment,' he said.
Carney said last week that he would press India to co-operate on law enforcement investigations following the stunning allegations in 2023 from then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, who said there was credible evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the killing of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Gurdwara in B.C.'s Lower Mainland. The allegation rocked Canada's diplomatic relationship with India, as Modi's Hindu nationalist government denied any link to the killing and accused Canada of failing to provide evidence.
Last October, the RCMP detailed
further allegations
that Indian diplomats and consular officials in Canada are tied to murders, violence, intimidation and threats against Canadians. That same month, the federal government
expelled
six Indian diplomats, alleging they were collecting information about Canadians and passing it along to organized crime groups.
'Canada has to send a clear message right now. It will not tolerate foreign interference, nor will it reward a government that targets Canadian citizens on Canadian soil,' said Moninder Singh, who also said he has been warned of threats and forced to live away from his family for months to protect his children.
'The government has to reconsider Mr. Modi's invitation and rescind,' he said.
Some Liberal MPs have also raised concerns about Modi's attendance. On Wednesday, British Columbia's Sukh Dhaliwal told reporters he met with Carney to discuss the issue earlier in the day.
'It's not a good idea, but now he's invited. We have to move forward,' Dhaliwal said of the Modi invitation.
He added that Carney is 'alarmed about the issue and he will be very strong when it comes to dealing with those issues that are important to Canadians.'
NDP MP Jenny Kwan also expressed concerns about Modi's invitation, calling it 'so shocking' in light of the allegations against his government. She also said police should consider providing Jagmeet Singh, who lost his seat in the April 28 election and resigned as NDP leader, personal protection.
'I don't know what the prime minister is trying to achieve, but one thing that he needs to achieve is to say to Canadians and to demonstrate to Canadians that foreign interference is serious, that he is taking it seriously, and transnational repression is something that we will not tolerate,' Kwan said.
In the House of Commons, Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe called for the government to cancel invitations to Modi, and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed bin Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand responded that the G7 is an important forum for international leaders, where they will have 'necessary conversations' about protecting the Canadian population. 'That is our absolute priority,' she said in French.
An official briefing journalists on condition of anonymity about the G7 summit said leaders are expected to arrive in Alberta on Sunday, with meetings and discussions on various issues scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday. The official said Carney will strive to have individual meetings with every leader that attends. They also said the agenda will include discussion of foreign interference and how to stop 'transnational repression.'
To Balpreet Singh, the federal government under Carney is failing to stand up for the Sikh community, including by failing to respond to a letter about his concerns that he sent to the Prime Minister's Office last month.
He called for concrete measures like cancelling intelligence-sharing to show the government is serious, even if it allows Modi to attend next week's summit.
'It doesn't feel as though this is being treated like a Canadian issue. It's being treated as though it's just those brown people. It's just the Sikh,' Balpreet Singh said.
'What needs to happen for Canada to wake up, for our government to take this seriously? What more needs to happen? Do we need to have more dead people on the streets?'
With a file from Mark Ramzy