2 days ago
'They're worried': Liberal MP plans to raise concerns about Modi visit to Carney
OTTAWA — A Liberal MP says he intends to raise concerns to Prime Minister Mark Carney about the decision to invite India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Canada as part of a meeting of G7 leaders later this month.
Sukh Dhaliwal represents the Surrey, B.C., riding where Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed outside of a temple in June 2023, and whose death Canada has linked to the Indian government.
Dhaliwal says he has received dozens of calls and more than 100 emails from constituents expressing concern about Modi's plans to attend the upcoming G7 summit in Alberta, at Carney's invitation.
'They're worried. They're worried about their safety, they're concerned about the justice in Mr. Nijjar's case, as well,' he told National Post in an interview late Friday.
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons in September 2023 that Canada had 'credible allegations' that agents acting on behalf of the Indian government were involved Nijjar's death.
Last fall, the RCMP said it also had evidence linking Modi's government to violence unfolding in Canada, including organized crime and murders.
Dhaliwal said he has heard other Liberal MPs also express concern about Modi's upcoming visit, but declined to divulge details to protect their privacy.
He said he intends to raise the concerns he has been hearing from constituents with Carney or his team, and will be in Ottawa next week for the ongoing sitting of Parliament.
'He's willing to talk,' Dhaliwal said of the prime minister.
'He's willing to listen to his MPs, that's what he has promised because he has always said that he's interested in the voice from the grassroots, not the message coming from the top to the grassroots.'
'I will certainly raise this with him or his team.'
A statement from Carney's office in response to questions from National Post didn't directly address Dhaliwal's concerns, but said 'Canada's sovereignty and national security is paramount.'
'As Prime Minister of the fifth largest economy and the world's most populous country, Prime Minister Modi was invited to participate in these critical discussions,' the statement reads.
Carney also defended his decision to invite Modi to the G7 at a Friday press conference earlier in the day, saying India was central to supply chains. He said he discussed the matter with other G7 countries.
Modi said on social media that 'India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests.'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre backed the decision for Modi to attend, saying Canada needs to work with India on security and trade.
Meanwhile, the World Sikh Organization, which advocates for Sikh Canadians, denounced the decision, with its legal counsel, Balpreet Singh, saying it amounts to a 'betrayal.'
Four Indian nationals have been charged in Nijjar's death.
India has denied the accusation Canada made about having any involvement in his killing.
It had considered Nijjar to be a terrorist. Nijjar was a prominent activist in the Khalistan movement, which has pushed to establish a separate Sikh state in India's Punjab province.
Carney declined to say on Friday whether he believed Modi was involved in Nijjar's assassination, saying it would be inappropriate for him to comment on the matter given the fact that legal proceedings were underway.
Dhaliwal said he does not support the decision to have Modi in Canada, but believes he should offer a 'commitment that his government or his agents of India, will never, ever intervene into the lives of Canadians.'
India's prime minister should also agree to 'full cooperation' in the investigation into Niijar's death.
Last fall, Canada and India expelled each other's diplomats after citing RCMP evidence linking Indian government agents to crimes in Canada.
Canada had requested that India waive diplomatic immunity to allow police to investigate, which the federal government said did not happen.
Carney said on Friday that he and Modi in their recent phone call, agreed to 'law enforcement to law enforcement dialogue. He also noted that 'some progress' had been made on issues of 'accountability.'
Dhaliwal said the RCMP has been clear in its concerns about the links between the Indian government and violent crimes taking place in Canada.
He also pointed to Justice Marie-Josée Hogue's report into foreign interference that named India as one of the top countries attempting to meddle in Canada's democratic process.
The invitation to Modi touches on the rule of law and fundamental rights, he added.
'We cannot sacrifice those values.'
National Post
staylor@
Mark Carney defends inviting Modi to G7, prompting shock from Sikh organization
Carney prepared to sit over the summer to pass new bill to fast-track major projects
Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here.
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
