Once again raking up the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government stood up for Canadians and blamed the previous government for having 'cosy' ties with India. While testifying at a public inquiry into the foreign interference in Canada's electoral process, Trudeau said that his government was firm on the issue of protecting Canadians.
At the hearing, Trudeau accused the previous Conservative government of being "cosy" with the current Indian government, reported ANI.
In sworn testimony before a commission conducting a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian elections, Trudeau answered questions about intelligence briefings he had received and asserted the elections were "free and fair".
The commission was set up by Trudeau after opposition legislators were unhappy with the media reports on China's possible role in the elections.
Canada's national intelligence agency has disclosed findings, suggesting that China interfered in its 2019 and 2021 elections.
At the hearing of the Foreign Interference Commission, headed by the Quebec judge Marie-Josee Hogue, Trudeau said that his government has always stood up to defend minorities in Canada and their rights to speak out even if it irritates their home countries overseas.
On asked about foreign interference during the 2019 elections, Trudeau said, “In a public setting, I can’t speak to redactions made for national security. But, I will say that the principle that anyone who comes to Canada from anywhere in the world has all the rights of a Canadian to be free from extortion, coercion, interference from a country that they left behind and how we have stood up for Canadians, including in the very serious case that I brought forward to Parliament of the killing of [Hardeep Singh] Nijjar, demonstrates our government’s commitment to defending the rights and freedoms of Canadians.”
While testifying, Trudeau also spoke about the measures his government has taken to address the foreign interference since 2015. “The previous conservative government that was known for its very cosy relationship with the current Indian government...Whereas our government has always stood up to defend minorities in Canada and the rights of minorities to speak out, even if it irritates their home countries overseas,” Trudeau said.
Nijjar's killing has strained India-Canada bilateral ties. Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the killing of Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey in Canada's British Columbia, on June 18. New Delhi rejected the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated".