Carney defends inviting Modi to G7 after RCMP linked India to murders and extortion
Canada hosting high-level gathering in Alberta in just over a week
Prime Minister Mark Carney defended his decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta just months after the RCMP accused his government of acts of murder, extortion and coercion.
As this year's chair of the G7, Carney said it's important to have India at the table in Kananaskis while world leaders discuss issues including energy security and critical minerals, given the country's size and key role in the global supply chain.
He said he consulted with the other G7 leaders on the decision.
Carney also suggested India is now more willing to co-operate with ongoing Canadian investigations.
"We have now agreed importantly to continued law enforcement dialogue. So there's been some progress on that," Carney said during a Friday news conference.
"I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi in that context and he has accepted."
The invitation, announced earlier Friday morning, garnered swift condemnation given Canada's public accusation that members of the Indian government are involved in plots to stoke fear and cause harm on Canadian soil.
Last fall, the RCMP laid out allegations accusing agents of the Indian government of playing a role in "widespread violence" in Canada, including homicides, and warned that it poses "a serious threat to our public safety."
That came after Canada accused Indian government agents of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian activist for Sikh separatism.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada said the decision caused "outrage and pain" within the Sikh community across Canada.
"For Sikhs in Canada, this is a betrayal, not just of our community, but of core Canadian values," said president Danish Singh in a statement.
Liberal MP criticizes PM's move
The Sikh Federation of Canada called the trip "a grave insult."
The group said Nijjar's 2023 shooting death outside a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., was "part of a co-ordinated effort to silence dissent and terrorize our community."
A member of Carney's own caucus also voiced criticism. Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who represents the Surrey riding where Nijjar was shot, said neither he nor many of his constituents support Modi.
"They are concerned about justice," he told CBC's Power & Politics. "We cannot tolerate any interference from any foreign agents irrespective whether they're from India, China, Russia, Iran or any other country."
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme has said the Mounties have strong evidence showing the "highest levels" of the Indian government were involved in orchestrating a campaign of violence on Canadian soil, including homicides, coercion and extortion.
Duheme said police evidence shows Indian diplomats and consular staff collected information and brought that information to the Indian government, at which point instructions would be fed to criminal organizations to carry out acts of violence.
There's been no suggestion from officials that the alleged campaign of violence has ended.
The RCMP's comments came nearly a year after then prime minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing Nijjar. Rising in the House of Commons in September 2023, Trudeau said Canadian security agencies were pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and Nijjar's death
A Canadian citizen, Nijjar was a prominent local leader in the Khalistan movement pushing for the creation of an independent Sikh state in India.
Four Indian nationals are accused in the alleged assassination plot and their cases are before a B.C. court. New Delhi has denied the allegations and has accused Canada of supporting "Khalistani terrorists."
Leaders from the G7 countries — Canada, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — along with the president of the European Commission are heading to Alberta for high-level meetings June 16 and 17.
Conservatives say invitation is necessary
Modi has been invited to every G7 leaders' summit since 2019, but Carney had been under pressure from Sikh organizations to break with that tradition.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called the invitation "necessary," saying Canada needs to work with India on trade and security files.
"India has been at the last six G7 conferences. It's one of the biggest and fastest-growing economies in the world. We need to sell our natural gas, our civilian nuclear power technology and other resource projects to India," he said Friday.
"We want to see the government work on addressing security issues at the same time when the prime minister has those conversations."
The NDP called on Carney to rescind the invitation.
"It is unconscionable that the government would roll out the red carpet" for Modi, said the party's critic for public safety and national security, Jenny Kwan.
"This move undermines efforts to hold foreign powers accountable for interference and violence in our country."
Trudeau met with Modi on the sidelines of the Italy G7 last June, but relations between the two countries remained terse.
When the RCMP went public with its investigation, Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials "in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India."
Global Affairs Canada said that it had asked India to waive diplomatic and consular immunities "and to co-operate in the investigation," but India declined.
India responded by expelling six diplomats, including Canada's high commissioner.
The Liberal government under Carney has shown a willingness to thaw relations with India.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she had a "productive discussion" with her Indian counterpart last month on "deepening our economic co-operation and advancing shared priorities."
During the recent federal election campaign, Carney called the Canadian-Indian relationship "incredibly important."
"There are strains on that relationship that we didn't cause, to be clear," he said. "But there is a path forward to address those with mutual respect."
In a social media post Friday, Modi wrote that he looks forward to meeting at the summit.
"As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests," he wrote.
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With files from Evan Dyer and The Canadian Press