A media report that alleged India forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau into a meeting about Sikh separatists in 2018 by not allowing his plane to land is inaccurate, according to Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan.
The Globe and Mail recently reported that Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Sajjan, who served as defence minister at the time, met with the Indian minister for the Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, who handed the PM a dossier of Sikh separatists in Canada whose activities the Indian government wanted curtailed. The dossier was part of a lengthy effort by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to press Canada to take legal action against the separatists.
Mr. Sajjan refuted the report during a May 6 press conference in Ottawa.
“One thing I can tell you is that the report is not accurate,” he told reporters. “But I think we can all say there has been significant misinformation and disinformation by India, on individuals in this country, including on myself and my family.”
“I know that Sikh Canadians right now feel very confident in their police forces and the ongoing investigation at this time, but I can assure you that that last report is not accurate,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was also at the press conference, reacted to a question regarding Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who called Canada a country that welcomes criminals after RCMP charged three Indian nationals earlier this month with the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
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The death Mr. Nijjar, who was shot dead last June as he left a temple in Surrey, B.C., sparked a wave of protests and rallies against Indian diplomats in Canada, particularly after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of playing a role in the homicide.
Ms. Freeland said all Canadians should feel “absolutely safe and secure” in the country, but added that “given some recent arrests, that Canadians who are members of the Sikh community may today be feeling not so safe, and not so secure.”
Mr. Sajjan also commented on the ongoing tensions with the Indian government.
“It’s extremely important for Canadians to have confidence in independent police forces around Canada and also the intelligence services.”
He noted there was an ongoing investigation into the matter. “We want to make sure that we protect the integrity of this investigation,” he said. “We will not tolerate any type of disinformation or misinformation inside our country.”
Mr. Jaishankar has accused Canada of allowing Khalistan separatists to operate and affiliate with criminals in the name of free speech.
“Somebody may have been arrested; the police may have done some investigation. But the fact is (a) number of gangland people, (a) number of people with organized crime links from Punjab, have been made welcome in Canada,” he said at a forum in May.
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