Carney defends inviting Modi to G7 after RCMP linked India to murders and extortion

Prime Minister Mark Carney defended his determination to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 acme successful Alberta just months aft the RCMP accused his authorities of acts of murder, extortion and coercion.

As this year's seat of the G7, Carney said it's important to person India astatine the array successful Kananaskis while satellite leaders sermon issues including vigor information and captious minerals, fixed the country's size and cardinal relation successful the planetary proviso chain.

He said helium consulted with the different G7 leaders connected the decision.

Carney besides suggested India is present much consenting to co-operate with ongoing Canadian investigations. 

"We person present agreed importantly to continued instrumentality enforcement dialogue. So there's been immoderate advancement connected that," Carney said during a Friday quality conference.

"I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi successful that discourse and helium has accepted."

The invitation, announced earlier Friday morning, garnered swift condemnation fixed Canada's nationalist accusation that members of the Indian authorities are progressive successful plots to stoke fearfulness and origin harm connected Canadian soil.

Last fall, the RCMP laid retired allegations accusing agents of the Indian authorities of playing a relation successful "widespread violence" successful Canada, including homicides, and warned that it poses "a superior menace to our nationalist safety." 

That came aft Canada accused Indian authorities agents of being progressive successful the execution of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian activistic for Sikh separatism.

WATCH | Carney defends decision: 

The World Sikh Organization of Canada said the determination caused "outrage and pain" wrong the Sikh assemblage crossed Canada.

"For Sikhs in Canada, this is simply a betrayal, not conscionable of our community, but of halfway Canadian values," said president Danish Singh successful a statement.

Liberal MP criticizes PM's move 

The Sikh Federation of Canada called the travel "a grave insult."

The radical said Nijjar's 2023 shooting decease extracurricular a gurdwara successful Surrey, B.C., was "part of a co-ordinated effort to soundlessness dissent and terrorize our community."

A subordinate of Carney's ain caucus besides voiced criticism. Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who represents the Surrey riding wherever Nijjar was shot, said neither helium nor galore of his constituents enactment Modi. 

"They are acrophobic astir justice," helium told CBC's Power & Politics. "We cannot tolerate immoderate interference from immoderate overseas agents irrespective whether they're from India, China, Russia, Iran oregon immoderate different country." 

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme has said the Mounties person beardown grounds showing the "highest levels" of the Indian authorities were progressive successful orchestrating a run of unit connected Canadian soil, including homicides, coercion and extortion.

Duheme said constabulary grounds shows Indian diplomats and consular staff collected accusation and brought that accusation to the Indian government, astatine which point instructions would beryllium fed to transgression organizations to transportation retired acts of violence.

There's been nary proposition from officials that the alleged run of unit has ended.

The RCMP's comments came astir a twelvemonth aft past premier curate Justin Trudeau announced Canada had grounds linking Indian agents to the sidesplitting Nijjar.  Rising successful the House of Commons successful September 2023, Trudeau said Canadian information agencies were pursuing credible allegations of a imaginable nexus betwixt agents of the authorities of India and Nijjar's death

A Canadian citizen, Nijjar was a salient section person in the Khalistan movement pushing for the instauration of an independent Sikh authorities successful India.

Four Indian nationals are accused successful the alleged assassination crippled and their cases are earlier a B.C. court. New Delhi has denied the allegations and has accused Canada of supporting "Khalistani terrorists."

Leaders from the G7 countries — Canada, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — along with the president of the European Commission are heading to Alberta for high-level meetings June 16 and 17.

Conservatives accidental invitation is necessary 

Modi has been invited to each G7 leaders' acme since 2019, but Carney had been nether unit from Sikh organizations to interruption with that tradition.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called the invitation "necessary," saying Canada needs to enactment with India connected commercialized and information files.

"India has been astatine the past six G7 conferences. It's 1 of the biggest and fastest-growing economies successful the world. We request to merchantability our earthy gas, our civilian atomic powerfulness exertion and different assets projects to India," helium said Friday.

"We privation to spot the authorities enactment connected addressing information issues astatine the aforesaid clip erstwhile the premier curate has those conversations."

WATCH | Poilievre connected Modi's invitation: 

The NDP called connected Carney to rescind the invitation.

"It is unconscionable that the authorities would rotation retired the reddish carpet" for Modi, said the party's critic for nationalist information and nationalist security, Jenny Kwan.

"This determination undermines efforts to clasp overseas powers accountable for interference and unit successful our country."

Trudeau met with Modi connected the sidelines of the Italy G7 past June, but relations betwixt the 2 countries remained terse.

When the RCMP went nationalist with its investigation, Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials "in narration to a targeted run against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the authorities of India."

Global Affairs Canada said that it had asked India to waive diplomatic and consular immunities "and to co-operate successful the investigation," but India declined.

India responded by expelling six diplomats, including Canada's precocious commissioner.

WATCH | The Fifth Estate examines the Nijjar case: 

The Liberal authorities nether Carney has shown a willingness to thaw relations with India.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said she had a "productive discussion" with her Indian counterpart last month connected "deepening our economical co-operation and advancing shared priorities." 

During the caller national predetermination campaign, Carney called the Canadian-Indian narration "incredibly important."

"There are strains connected that narration that we didn't cause, to beryllium clear," helium said. "But determination is simply a way guardant to code those with communal respect."

In a social media station Friday, Modi wrote that helium looks guardant to gathering astatine the summit. 

"As vibrant democracies bound by heavy people-to-people ties, India and Canada volition enactment unneurotic with renewed vigour, guided by communal respect and shared interests," helium wrote.