Â鶹´«Ã½

Politics

    • Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case

    Share
    OTTAWA -

    India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as "a lot of noise." 

    During his first public remarks since the RCMP arrested three Indian nationals in the case, High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma seemed to link the case to domestic crime.

    But he warned that Sikh groups in Canada who call for the separation of their homeland from India are crossing "a big red line" that New Delhi sees as a matter of national security. 

    "Indians will decide the fate of India, not the foreigners," Verma told the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly stood by allegations that the Indian government was complicit in the slaying of a Sikh Canadian last year.

    Hardeep Singh Nijjar had long advocated for the creation of a Sikh country called Khalistan. 

    He was shot dead last June outside his temple in Surrey, B.C. 

    Nijjar was under an arrest warrant in India, but Canada never extradited him due to a lack of credible proof that he committed any serious crime.

    The killing sparked a wave of protests, with some Sikh groups circulating posters that threatened Indian diplomats in Canada by name.

    Ottawa paused trade negotiations with India last August, a month before Trudeau publicly linked New Delhi to the case. 

    The diplomatic strain continued into the fall as India forced Canada to remove two-thirds of its diplomats from the country, threatening to strip them of diplomatic immunity, and temporarily halted processing visas for Canadian visitors. 

    The three men charged in the case made a virtual appearance in court Tuesday. Police say they are still investigating whether India's government was involved in the killing.

    Verma said the deeper problems underneath the recent "negative" developments have to do with Canada's misunderstanding of "decades-old issues," which he blames Canadians of Indian origin for resurfacing. 

    He said his chief concern is "national-security threats emanating from the land of Canada," noting that India does not recognize dual nationality, so anyone who emigrates is considered a foreigner.

    New Delhi deems it unconstitutional to call for separation from India, but Canada has long said Sikh people in Canada are entitled to free speech if they're not inciting violence.

    "Foreigners having, if I can call it, (an) evil eye on the territorial integrity of India — that is a big red line for us," he said.

    He did not specify whether he was referring to foreigners being involved in the Nijjar case or the issue of Sikh separatism more broadly. 

    Verma added that unspecified media reports have been "a bit coloured," though he acknowledged "there would be some facts" in them.

    Over the weekend, Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had reacted to the RCMP arrests by accusing Canada of welcoming in criminals from his country.

    But Verma struck a conciliatory tone on Tuesday, saying the two countries are "trying to resolve this issue."

    "We are ready to sit down at the table any day, and we are doing that," he said.

    Hours before those remarks, Joly said her goal is still to conduct diplomacy with India in private.

    She said she would let the Mounties investigate instead of providing any new commentary on the case.

    "We stand by the allegations that a Canadian was killed on Canadian soil by Indian agents," Joly said on Parliament Hill.

    "The investigation by the RCMP is being done. I won’t further comment and no other officials from our government will further comment."

    Verma focused his Tuesday speech on "so many positive things" happening in the relationship. 

    He noted the annual value of two-way trade is $26 billion, and in the past 11 months, there has been a 75 per cent jump in Canadian lentil exports and a 21 per cent increase in Indian prepared medicines reaching Canada.

    Vina Nadjibulla, the research vice-president for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said India has increasing importance for Ottawa and many of its peers.

    "Canada at the moment is an outlier, when it comes to that kind of strategic deepening of partnership with India," she said.

    "We do need to stabilize and improve that relationship, because that is in Canada's national interest."

    She noted that Canadian businesses and provinces have been seeking stronger ties. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith welcomed Verma in March.

    And Saskatchewan announced last week it had convinced New Delhi to reinstate the province's envoy in India, saying their official was among the Canadians who had to leave during the fall.

    New Delhi hasn't allowed the other Canadian diplomats to return.

    Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe met Jaishankar last February and spoke at the Raisina Dialogue, a major foreign-policy conference in India.

    Nadjibulla attended the same conference. She observed that India displayed "tremendous confidence" over its rising economic power, population and regional clout. 

    "There are many partners and suitors at the moment showing up in New Delhi," Nadjibulla said.

    Despite the Nijjar case, she said Canada should consider reopening trade talks with India. 

    "There's a lot we can be doing together," she said.

    Not everyone agrees. On Tuesday, the group Sikhs for Justice called for Verma's speech to be cancelled, citing the Nijjar case and allegations of foreign interference by India.

    The group's New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was named by U.S. prosecutors as an assassination target in a failed plot they allege was orchestrated by an Indian government official. The claim has not been tested in court.

    India is in the midst of a months-long national election.

    Nadjibulla said she expects Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to continue ramping up his rhetoric.

    Last month, Modi twice made statements in Hindi about his country's ability to kill those abroad who challenge the country's territorial integrity, in comments that were more broadly related to Pakistan.

    Last week, Jaishankar lamented that "our biggest problem right now is in Canada," referring to Sikh separatism. 

    Federal cabinet minister Harjit Sajjan, who has been painted by Indian officials as a Sikh nationalist, suggested on Tuesday that he doesn't take India's claims at face value.

    "We take any allegations and information by any country very seriously when it comes to any type of criminal activity," he said.

    "There has been significant misinformation and disinformation by India on individuals in this country, including on myself and my family."

    This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

    A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

    opinion

    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

    An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.

    Canada

    • We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

    • The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

    • Video of a B.C. man's surprise encounter with a black bear has gone viral online, generating much discussion about how to best respond when face-to-face with an aggressive animal.

    • An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    Entertainment

    Business

    • Metro Vancouver grain terminal workers are now on strike, bringing tens of millions of dollars of exports to a standstill.

    Lifestyle

    Sports

    • Reid Carruthers seeks a three-peat in curling's quirky PointsBet Invitational that's become an unofficial season kickoff because of money, field and visibility.

    • Cole Perfetti will suit up for the Winnipeg Jets for another two years.

    Autos

    • The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.

    Local Spotlight

    An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

    Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

    Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

    A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

    A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

    Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

    Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

    An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

    They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

    • Video of a B.C. man's surprise encounter with a black bear has gone viral online, generating much discussion about how to best respond when face-to-face with an aggressive animal.

    • Metro Vancouver grain terminal workers are now on strike, bringing tens of millions of dollars of exports to a standstill.

    • An 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in a caught-on-video incident in Mississauga earlier this month is now facing auto theft charges in Toronto.

    • Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, season is just a few months away, but new vaccine options have already arrived for Ontario residents who may be vulnerable to the winter bug.

    • Premier Doug Ford is standing behind comments he made suggesting that people living in encampments “just need to get a job to lift themselves out of poverty.â€

    • Premier Danielle Smith says she plans to reinforce the right to decide whether to receive a vaccination or other medical procedure in changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights.

    • A Calgary man is facing child pornography charges after an investigation uncovered years of messages exchanged with an alleged felon.

    • Ottawa police say there is an ongoing investigation at Glebe Collegiate Institute.

    • Ottawa police say a 26-year-old man has been arrested following a several assaults on passengers travelling on OC Transpo vehicles Monday morning.

    • Stubbs said last week that the Ottawa Police Service would be bringing back a unit on horseback to patrol certain areas, most notably the ByWard Market. But speaking to reporters Monday, he added the unit will have other uses.

    • The heat is rising for Quebec Premier François Legault as opposition parties demand answers about his government's investment in the planned Northvolt battery factory near Montreal.

    • A fire in a container at one of the Port of Montreal's terminals prompted the city to issue a containment notice for the area adjacent to the port on Monday evening, in the Mercier--Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.

    • The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported this week that officers in the agency's Montreal Marine and Rail Services seized 78 vehicles and transferred them to police. Numbers of stolen vehicles in Quebec continue to skyrocket.

    • One person was hospitalized after a crash involving a Valley Line Southeast LRT train and a semi Tuesday morning.

    • A transgender Albertan says it would be a slap in the face if Premier Danielle Smith allows back into the government caucus a member who once compared transgender children to feces.

    • Premier Danielle Smith says she plans to reinforce the right to decide whether to receive a vaccination or other medical procedure in changes to the Alberta Bill of Rights.

    • NEW

      NEW

      Antigonish County District RCMP is trying to track down a man wanted on a provincewide arrest warrant for sexual assault in Nova Scotia.

    • Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government has announced it will build four new schools in the Halifax region as part of its school capital plan for the area.

    • A candidate for Halifax mayor says the municipality's approach to homeless encampments has encouraged unhoused people from across the country to move to the city to live in tents. But housing advocates and a city councillor say that claim is untrue.

    • An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

    • Parks Canada said it is considering treatment options and bringing in third-party experts after multiple, living juvenile zebra mussels were once again discovered in Clear Lake.

    • Unions representing roughly 25,000 health-care support workers have issued a strike notice, alerting the province its members will walk off the job if a deal is not reached before a looming deadline.

    • A report from a tribunal appointed by the Saskatchewan Party government says a proposed federal emissions cap and methane regulations would cause severe economic damage.

    • Health care is shaping up to be a major issue for this fall’s provincial election in Saskatchewan and on Monday both the Sask. Party and NDP announced plans on how they will work to improve the sector if elected this fall.

    • Regina police will be conducting a two-day traffic blitz in and around the city Tuesday and Wednesday.

    • A reward of up to $50K has been issued by Waterloo Regional Police for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Joshua Bennett.

    • Police were called to a business in the area of University Avenue East and Weber Street North at around 10:40 p.m. Saturday for a report of a man attempting to stab another man.

    • A man and woman in Saskatoon who had two kilograms of methamphetamine seized from a home are going back to trial after having their acquittals overturned.

    • The Saskatchewan Government is in the province's highest court fighting to prevent a Court of King’s Bench judge from determining if its Parents' Bill of Rights actually violates the Charter.

    • Fire crews are battling a blaze at the Candle Lake Golf Course clubhouse on Monday morning.

    • We've all had neighbours we didn't like, but two people from Sault Ste. Marie have been awarded more than half a million dollars for the 'extreme' behaviour of the people who lived next to them.

    • A Verner man, 35, is charged in connection with a fatal crash on Highway 17 last month that killed one and sent another to hospital.

    • A London man charged with criminal harassment following an incident outside the Parkhill Public Library during a Drag Queen story reading on April 29, 2023, has been found not guilty.

    • The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

    • Todd Thompson never imagined he would raise over $100,000 towards men's cancer and mental health programs in just a few short years. That's because he was entirely cancer-free, a few years ago.

    • Three construction workers are being praised for their actions that police in Barrie say likely prevented an armed man from fleeing before being taken into custody.

    • Four puppies were found near County Road 21 in Essa after a passerby spotted one when it ran out of the ditch and onto the road.

    • An Uber driver was handed a 12-month driving ban on Tuesday following a collision that injured a pedestrian and killed a dog in Barrie.

    • Windsor police officers are asking for the public’s help identifying and finding a suspect after a convenience store robbery in south Windsor.

    • A man swimming across the Detroit River from Windsor to Detroit was rescued by a mail boat, according to the J.W. Westcott Company.

    • Residents living in a Tecumseh neighbourhood had an unusual sighting over the weekend.

    • A man and a woman from Nanaimo, B.C., are facing more than two dozen charges after police seized four guns and several hundred grams of illicit drugs following a complaint about drug trafficking in the city's downtown core.

    • Former British Columbia chief coroner Lisa Lapointe has emerged from retirement to throw her weight behind a BC Green's campaign pledge to expand safer supply of opioids and other drugs to deal with the province's deadly overdose crisis.

    • Video of a B.C. man's surprise encounter with a black bear has gone viral online, generating much discussion about how to best respond when face-to-face with an aggressive animal.

    • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

    • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

    • Animal protection officers in British Columbia have rescued three pit bulls – including one that gave birth to 10 puppies – from a rat-infested home in Kelowna.

    • To make higher education an easier step to take for Indigenous students, the University of Lethbridge is dropping some fees for those applicants.

    • Authorities arrested a man from Pincher Creek after shots were fired near a home on the Blood Tribe First Nation.

    • A former Lethbridge pastor who bilked millions out of hundreds of southern Albertans has appealed his conviction and sentence.

    • A 25-year-old suspect was charged with impaired driving Sept. 21 after police spotted two people without helmets on an ATV on Sand Bay Road in Goulais River.

    • A federal offender who was last seen in Sudbury is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for allegedly breaching his statutory release conditions.

    • The judge in the sexual assault trial against former Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard delivered his instructions to the jury in a northern Ontario courtroom Tuesday afternoon.

    N.L.

    Stay Connected
    Follow Â鶹´«Ã½