Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a diplomatic chill with India, saying Ottawa needs a 鈥減rofessional relationship鈥� with the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile, Modi鈥檚 government says it is upset with the federal Liberals and not Canada as a whole.
Trudeau announced in the House of Commons last month that Canadian intelligence services are investigating 鈥渃redible鈥� information about 鈥渁 potential link鈥� between India鈥檚 government and the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fine to have our disagreements and to hold each other accountable, but we have to have a professional relationship 鈥� with the Indian government,鈥� Poilievre told Namaste Radio Toronto in a video posted online Saturday afternoon.
Poilievre also blamed Trudeau for the 鈥渁ggression shown to Indian diplomats at public events.鈥�
Earlier this year, before Trudeau鈥檚 revelation regarding the Nijjar case, India lamented rowdy protests by Sikh separatist groups outside diplomatic missions in Canada, and posters offering cash rewards for the home addresses of India鈥檚 diplomats.
New Delhi formally called on Canada to better uphold its duty to protect foreign diplomats and in late August, India鈥檚 high commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, said his country was 鈥渧ery satisfied鈥� that the Liberal government had responded appropriately and that its diplomats were secure.
Poilievre claims in the interview that Trudeau is turning Canadians against each other, citing vandalism at Hindu places of worship.
鈥淚 strongly condemn all threats on the attacks on Hindu mandirs, the threats against Hindu leaders,鈥� Poilievre told Namaste Radio Toronto.
鈥淭here should be criminal charges laid against anyone who attacks either the property or people at Hindu mandirs, just like anywhere else.鈥�
Poilievre did not cite a specific example, but he mentioned a month ago on X, formerly known as Twitter, 鈥渉ateful comments targeting Hindus in Canada鈥� that he said needed to be called out.
In the interview, Poilievre did not mention the Nijjar case, nor did the interviewer ask about it. Poilievre has previously said that those responsible for the homicide must be prosecuted, and has urged Trudeau to provide more of its information on the case.
鈥淛ustin Trudeau is considered a laughingstock in India, the world鈥檚 biggest democracy,鈥� Poilievre said in his interview.
His office declined to comment about the interview Monday.
Poilievre did not directly mention Sikhs in Canada, nor a subset of those communities who advocate for a separate state in India they call Khalistan.
But the World Sikh Organization in Canada argues Poilievre is indirectly pointing the finger at Sikhs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about the violation of Canadian sovereignty and the assassination of Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, (allegedly) by India,鈥� the group鈥檚 lawyer Balpreet Singh said.
鈥淚鈥檓 very disappointed to see His Majesty鈥檚 loyal opposition leader siding with a hostile foreign government against Canadian intelligence, Five Eyes intelligence and frankly the memory of a dead Canadian citizen.鈥�
Singh said his group condemns calls for violence against Hindu people, but he said Poilievre is siding with New Delhi against Canadian interests.
鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 be playing politics with a matter of this gravity,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he situation is not a result of Prime Minister Trudeau鈥檚 actions or individuals in the Sikh community who have spoken out against Indian diplomats.鈥�
Also this past weekend, India鈥檚 foreign affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said his country might end its freeze on Canadian visas if Canada better ensures the safety of Indian diplomats.
鈥淲e stopped issuing visas in Canada because it was no longer safe for our diplomats to go to work to issue visas,鈥� Jaishankar claimed on Sunday, despite his own envoy to Ottawa saying otherwise.
鈥淥ur diplomats are not safe. If we see progress there, I would like very much to resume the issuing of visas. My hope would be that it would be something which would happen very, very soon.鈥�
Jaishankar also claimed that New Delhi鈥檚 decision to reduce Canada鈥檚 diplomatic presence in India 鈥� leading to the majority being removed from the country 鈥� was the result of unspecified meddling by Canada in India.
鈥淲e invoked parity because we had concerns about continuous interference in our affairs by Canadian personnel,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 made much of that public. My sense is over a period of time, more stuff will come out and people will understand why we had that discomfort with many of them.鈥�
India鈥檚 envoy to Canada said on Aug. 31 that 鈥渨e feel very satisfied鈥� with Ottawa鈥檚 response to a request for better protection. 鈥淥ur concerns have been taken on board. It has been well understood,鈥� Verma said.
Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly revealed on Sept. 14 that Indian diplomats in Canada 鈥渉ave 24/7 security,鈥� which is a service Ottawa offers to very few diplomatic missions.
Jaishankar also said Sunday he takes issue with the federal Liberals. 鈥淭he problems we have are with a certain segment of Canadian politics, and the policies which flow from that,鈥� he said.
University of British Columbia professor Vina Nadjibulla said that鈥檚 the first time India has ever explicitly indicated its issues with Canada fall along political lines.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite surprising, for a foreign secretary like Jaishankar to say that 鈥� essentially pointing at the Liberal government and at the prime minister himself,鈥� she said.
Nadjibulla said she鈥檚 seen 鈥渢roubling鈥� posters around Surrey, B.C., that call for violence toward Indian government officials.
鈥淭he challenge that 鈥� countries that have large diasporas of Sikh communities have is to obviously protect freedoms of expression and freedom of assembly, but also recognize that there is a serious concern for India when it comes to this issue,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e have to engage both sides.鈥�
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