On Tuesday, the Canadian House of Commons observed a moment of silence to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Greg Fergus, Speaker of the House of Commons, urged Members of Parliament to observe a moment of silence, as decided by the House, to honour Nijjar.
On the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remarked that Narendra Modi's re-election as India's prime minister for the third term presents an “opportunity” for Canada to engage on various significant matters. Speaking to CBC News, Trudeau noted, “Now that he's been re-elected, I believe there's an opportunity for us to engage, particularly on critical issues related to national security, ensuring the safety of Canadians, and upholding the rule of law.”
The remarks follow a period of strained relations between Canada and India over the assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023 in British Columbia, Canada.
Forty-five-year-old Nijjar, identified as a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency since 2020, was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
Nijjar has been included in the Indian government's list of “designated terrorists,” alongside 40 other individuals.
Four Indian nationals- Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, Karanpreet Singh, and Amandeep Singh, 22, are accused of killing Nijjar and are standing trial in a Canadian Court.
However, India has consistently denied any involvement in the killing and says it does not have a policy of assassinating people abroad.
Relations between India and Canada deteriorated significantly after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's September 2023 allegations, suggesting the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar's killing.
However, India dismissed the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.” New Delhi also said that Canada has not provided any "specific" evidence or relevant information in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing case.
Meanwhile, the Canadian PM further said the two countries must work on some “important but sensitive” issues. He, however, refused to share many details of what the two leaders discussed.
“I think you can understand I'm not going to get into the details of this issue. There are important but sensitive issues that we need to follow up on. But, this was a commitment to work together in the coming times to deal with some significant issues,” he told reporters on June 16 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy's Apulia.
