Parliamentary Committee Notes: Canada-India Engagement on Security
Issue
Following the announcement by the Prime Minister, in September, 2023, that agents of the Government of India were involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Public Safety Canada has been actively seeking to engage with the Government of India on matters related to domestic security.
Proposed Response
- Following the Prime Minister’s announcement in the House of Commons, in September 2023, related to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Public Safety Canada and its Portfolio agencies (the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Security Intelligence Service) have remained committed to fostering strong working relationships with their counterparts in India.
- On October 19, 2023, the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, sent a letter to his Indian counterpart Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs. This letter highlighted the bolstered protective measures implemented by the Government Canada to ensure the safety of Indian diplomatic missions and personnel in Canada and emphasized the ongoing commitment to combat extremism in all its forms.
- On December 22, 2023, Shawn Tupper, Deputy Minister of Public Safety, sent a letter to his Indian counterpart Shri Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Home Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs, proposing the establishment of a bilateral Security Dialogue, intended as a mechanism for senior-level strategic engagement on common priorities. This Dialogue would complement ongoing cooperation between Canada and India’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and to enhance transparency and trust between both countries.
- On January 17, 2024, Deputy Minister Tupper met with former Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Shri Sanjay Kumar Verma, to further discuss this proposal and seek an appropriate timeframe and venue for a first high-level meeting under the proposed Security Dialogue.
- In August 2024, Deputy Minister Tupper reached out once again to Home Secretary Bhalla, in writing to suggest that a meeting between the two take place in India to discuss issues of mutual priority related to national security.
- In the past, Canadian law-enforcement and security agencies have engaged their Indian counterparts, bilaterally and multilaterally, including through annual meetings of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (JWGCT), which is intended as a forum for effective and practical collaboration between Canada and India.
Responsive
Engagement with India leading up to the recent law-enforcement and diplomatic actions
- We have taken a proactive approach with the Government of India since the beginning, urging their cooperation in stemming the violence and requesting to address these issues by working together.
- We have offered multiple opportunities for the Government of India to take accountability for its previous and ongoing actions.
- Not only have we held a number of senior-level bilateral meetings with Indian counterparts over the last year to try to find solutions and middle-ground to alleviate the security related concerns of both parties.
- Despite all of these efforts, the Government of India has refused to work with us.
Background
On June 18 , 2023, prominent Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was shot and killed outside Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. An RCMP investigation of the murder led to the arrest of four individuals in May 2024, as well as uncovering a significant amount of information about the breadth and depth of criminal activity in Canada orchestrated by the Government of India and its local proxies in Canada. This includes not only homicides and other forms of extreme violence (such as targeted assassinations) but also purported extortion of South Asian community members, interference by the Government of India in democratic processes here in Canada.
On October 14, 2024, following the announcement by the RCMP about the results of its investigation, the Government of Canada declared several of India’s key diplomatic representatives in Canada, as persona non grata.
Throughout the investigation, the Government of Canada has sought numerous opportunities to engage with the Government of India, at the highest level, to present relevant evidence and discussion options for collaborative approaches. This includes a proposal by Public Safety Canda to establish a Domestic Security Dialogue with the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss common issues of concern related to national security and options to address them. The aims of these efforts was to support ongoing engagement between Canadian and Indian law-enforcement and security agencies, as well as complement engagement between the Prime Minister’s National Security Advisor and her Indian counterpart.
Contacts
Prepared by: NSOD/NCSB
Approved by: [REDACTED], Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, NCSB, [REDACTED]
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