Trudeau says cooperation is coming with Modi, but doesn't specify
What's the story
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that India and Canada will cooperate on a number of important issues, following a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in Italy on Friday. Trudeau, however, refrained from going into details or confirming if he addressed allegations about India's involvement in the killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The meeting between Trudeau and Modi was the first since the Indian PM conveyed strong concerns about anti-India protests in Canada to the Canadian PM at the G20 Summit in New Delhi last year. Relationships between the two countries have been fraught for years due to efforts by certain Canadians advocating the creation of a separate Sikh homeland—Khalistan—within India. The relationship deteriorated last year when Trudeau publicly accused PM Modi's government of being involved in the killing of Nijjar.
Trudeau
Modi shares picture of him and Trudeau
Shortly after meeting Modi, Trudeau told journalists, "I'm not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues." Later in the evening, Modi also posted a picture of him and Trudeau on X, with the caption, "Met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit."
Twitter Post
Modi with Trudeau
Met Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau at the G7 Summit. pic.twitter.com/e67ajADDWi
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2024
Tensions rising
Allegations and accusations strain Canada-India relations
Since accusing the Indian government of being involved in Nijjar's killing, Canada has also accused India of attempting to interfere in Canadian elections. This claim surfaced during a public inquiry into foreign interference and an NSICOP report. Trudeau did not confirm if these interference allegations were discussed with Modi or if they would impact future G7 invitations to the Indian leader. "My government has taken foreign interference seriously since 2015," Trudeau stated when questioned about this issue.