A media report is inaccurate that alleged India forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau into a meeting about Sikh separatists in 2018 by not allowing his plane to land in the Indian state of Punjab, says Minister of Emergency Preparedness Harjit Sajjan.
The dossier was part of a lengthy effort by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to press Canada to take legal action against Sikh separatists, the report said.
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.
Citing Canada’s security agencies, Mr. Trudeau has accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing of Mr. Nijjar, which India denies.
Ms. Freeland said all Canadians should feel “absolutely safe and secure” in their 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. Nijjar had long advocated for a Sikh country called Khalistan to be carved out of the northwest Indian state of Punjab. He was shot dead in June 2023 outside the local temple in Surrey, B.C., of which he was president.
Mr. Jaishankar has accused the Canadian government of allowing Khalistan separatists to operate and affiliate with criminals.
“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.
