On Tuesday, the Canadian House of Commons paid tribute with a moment of silence to mark 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 to honor Nijjar, as per the House's decision.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also commented on the recent re-election of Narendra Modi as India's Prime Minister for the third term, seeing it as an "opportunity" for Canada to engage on several significant matters. Speaking to CBC News, Trudeau highlighted, "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."
Trudeau's remarks come after a period of strained relations between Canada and India over the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023 in British Columbia, Canada.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old individual designated 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," along with 40 other individuals.
Indians accused of killing Nijjar
Four Indian nationals viz Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, Karanpreet Singh, and Amandeep Singh, 22—are accused of killing Nijjar.
India-Canada Relations
Relations between India and Canada significantly deteriorated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September last year, suggesting the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar's killing. India has dismissed these accusations as "absurd" and "motivated," stating that Canada has not provided any "specific" evidence or relevant information in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing case.
Despite these tensions, Trudeau emphasized that the two countries need to work on some "important but sensitive" issues. However, he declined 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," Trudeau told reporters on June 16 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy's Apulia.
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