What Canada’s Justin Trudeau said on Narendra Modi’s return as PM: ‘Opportunity to engage on…’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday, June 18, that the return of Narendra Modi as India's prime minister for the third time is an “opportunity” for his country to engage on several important issues. In an interview with CBC News, Justin Trudeau said, “Now that he’s through his election, I think there is an opportunity for us to engage, including on some very serious issues around national security and keeping Canadians safe and the rule of law.”

Justin Trudeau had met PM Narendra Modi on Friday, June 14, on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, Italy. A few days later the Canadian PM said there are some “important but sensitive” issues that the two countries need to work on together.

Speaking on his meeting PM Modi at G7 Summit, Justin Trudeau said, “I think one of the really good things about summits is you get an opportunity to engage directly with a huge range of different leaders with whom there are various issues. And certainly with India, there are massive people-to-people ties, there are really important economic ties, there's alignment on a number of big issues that we need to work on as democracies, as a global community.”

The remarks come months after the relationship between Canada and India soured over the alleged assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023 in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.

In September 2023, Canada said its intelligence agencies were investigating Indian link to the murder of Sikh separatist leader. However, India has dismissed the accusations as "absurd" and "motivated." New Delhi has also said that Canada has not provided any "specific" evidence or relevant information in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing case.

In November, the US authorities linked some Indian officials' to the attempted murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun – a US and Canadian citizen.