India was quick to respond to Ottawa expelling an Indian diplomat amid allegations that New Delhi was involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader on Canadian soil, responding in kind with an expulsion of their own.
Indian officials, calling the allegations “absurd” and “unsubstantiated,” summoned Canada’s High Commissioner to India to inform him that senior Canadian diplomat has been kicked out of India and given five days to leave the country. CBC News has confirmed reports in Indian media saying the Canadian diplomat facing expulsion is Olivier Sylvestre.
The tit-for-tat response, on the heels of Ottawa expelling Indian diplomat Pavan Kumar Rai, was accompanied by a strongly-worded statement accusing Canada of interfering in India’s internal affairs.
In a separate statement, Narendra Modi’s government said the allegations were politically motivated and repeated a long-standing criticism: that Canadian officials aren’t concerned by the actions of “Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
India expels Canadian diplomat after Trudeau’s assassination claim
India’s foreign ministry says it has expelled a Canadian diplomat with five days’ notice to leave the country. The move comes after Canada ordered the expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusation that the Indian government was involved in the fatal shooting of a Canadian Sikh leader.
Canada is home to the largest Sikh diaspora community.
Tensions between Canada and India have grown increasingly frosty in recent months, following the June shooting death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and after several informal referendum votes held by the U.S.-based group Sikhs for Justice on whether a separate Sikh state called Khalistan should be formed.
Nijjar was a wanted man in India, designated as a terrorist in 2020.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, second from right, stands outside of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 (Ben Nelms/CBC)
‘Bad blood’
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday in a speech to the House of Commons.
While the allegations may have brought about a rare moment of unity among Ottawa’s political parties, with all leaders condemning the killing and calling for answers about the intelligence that national security advisors have deemed “credible,” it did the same in India, but with the opposite view — that the allegations are motivated more by domestic political concerns.
India’s main opposition Congress Party echoed the Modi government’s stance, saying on X, formerly known as Twitter, that India’s “fight against terrorism has to be uncompromising.”
The allegations and deepening diplomatic row between India and Canada brought heightened security outside Canada’s High Commission in New Delhi, with more police officers deployed to protect the building.
New Delhi-based geopolitical analyst Brahma Chellaney called Trudeau’s allegations “astounding.”
A sign outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey is seen on Monday. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)
The professor of strategic studies at the Centre for Policy Research noted that this is the first time India has been accused of “carrying out an assassination on Western soil, even though India has been the victim of a host of major terrorist attacks, including one that originated in Canada.”
“Canadian security agencies have yet to find evidence of any Indian involvement in the killing [of Nijjar],” said Chellaney, who is a former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board.
The prime minister only spoke of “a potential link with India,” Chellaney noted. “Why would [Trudeau] then make an allegation at this stage?”
Chellaney said the accusations have plunged the bilateral relationship between the two countries to an all-time low, and he doesn’t see it getting better anytime soon.
“There has been bad blood between Trudeau and New Delhi for a long time.”
Canada’s statement was rushed, some say:
On the streets of Mumbai, quieter than usual as many observed the beginning of a holy festival honouring one of the Hindu gods Ganesh, some people said Canada rushed into making a statement without presenting more solid facts.
“The easiest thing for a person is to accuse somebody, the toughest part is to find a solution,” said Mumbai resident Vanish Kapoor, 48, walking with his wife Ritu.
‘Absurd and motivated’: India responds to allegations it killed Canadian
The Indian government responded to allegations it was involved in the killing of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C., calling them ‘absurd and motivated,’ while also accusing Canadian officials of sheltering ‘Khalistani extremists.’
“I think Mr. Trudeau should have… investigated and if he could have proved that India is behind it, that is the time he should have issued a statement,” Kapoor told CBC News.
“But he issued a statement just [out of] thin air.”
Others also said they believed the tense relations between Canada and India will only get worse.
“[The allegations] will definitely create differences,” said 26-year-old Jasmine Arya.
“There’s a direct impact to it and I think these need to be more researched before going and saying such things on the public forum,” she added.
Health Canada has authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against currently circulating variants of the virus.
The protein-based vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, has been reformulated to target the JN.1 subvariant of Omicron.
It will replace the previous version of the vaccine, which targeted the XBB.1.5 subvariant of Omicron.
Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.
Earlier this week, Health Canada approved Moderna’s updated mRNA COVID vaccine.
It is still reviewing Pfizer’s updated mRNA vaccine, with a decision expected soon.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version erroneously described the Novavax vaccine as an mRNA shot.
HALIFAX – The federal Fisheries Department says an endangered North Atlantic right whale has become entangled in gear in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The department says the whale was sighted Wednesday by a Transport Canada aerial surveillance team northeast of the Gaspé Peninsula, off Anticosti Island.
Officials say it’s not known what type of gear has entangled the whale or where the gear came from.
Based on observation, experts at the New England Aquarium have confirmed the whale is a female known as Chiminea.
The department says it is continuing to monitor the area and if the whale is located and conditions allow, efforts will be made to disentangle the animal.
Last October, the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium estimated there were 356 North Atlantic right whales left on the planet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Canadian pop icon Nelly Furtado has been named one of three headliners for the opening ceremony of the upcoming Invictus Games.
Furtado, from Victoria, will share the stage with alt-pop star Roxane Bruneau of Delson, Que., and American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.
They’ll be part of the show that opens the multi-sport event in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., in February.
The Invictus Games sees wounded, injured, and sick military service members and Veterans compete in 11 disciplines.
The Vancouver Whistler 2025 Games will be the first of seven editions to feature winter adaptive sports, including alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, skeleton and wheelchair curling.
British Columbia’s Lower Mainland will host the Invictus Games from Feb. 8-16.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
