Sikh groups call on MPs to denounce Carney's G7 invitation to Modi

OTTAWA — A group of Canadian Sikh organizations is calling on members of Parliament to denounce Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to next week’s G7 leaders’ meeting.  The open letter comes after Carney defended the invitation to Modi last Friday, saying it was important to have India at the table, given that it represents the world’s fifth-largest economy, is essential to supply chains, and now boasts the world’s largest population. “Carney’s decision is not merely a diplomatic miscalculation,” reads the letter, released Monday. “It is a direct insult to the Sikh community and a grave threat to the integrity of Canada’s institutions.” Signatories included the World Sikh Organization, the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council and Sikh Federation, as well as the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee and the Quebec Sikh Council. The letter was sent to 23 MPs from different parties across Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, whose ridings have a sizeable Sikh population. The statement follows recent comments by Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who represents the Surrey, B.C., riding where Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed outside of a temple in June 2023, that he was concerned by the invitation extended to Modi and planned to raise it with Carney this week. Dhaliwal said he had received dozens of calls and more than 100 emails from constituents expressing concern about Modi’s attendance at the summit. The groups cite the statement made by former prime minister Justin Trudeau in September 2023 that Canada had “credible allegations” that India’s government was involved in the death of Nijjar. That accusation sent shockwaves through Canada and resulted in a souring of relations with India, which denied the allegations. India had regarded Nijjar as a terrorist. He was a prominent activist in the Khalistan movement, which pushes for a separate Sikh state to be created in India’s Punjab province. Four Indian nationals have been charged in his death. Last fall, further tension was inserted into the Canada-India relationship when the RCMP went public with a statement that it believed India’s government to be involved in violence unfolding in Canada, from murder to criminal gangs. Carney said last Friday that when he and Modi spoke, they agreed to “l aw enforcement to law enforcement dialogue. He also noted that  “some progress” had been made on “accountability” issues.  Carney declined to comment on the question of whether he believed Modi was involved in Nijjar’s death, saying it would be inappropriate of him to comment given the ongoing legal case. In their open letter, the Sikh groups call on MPs to speak out about the invitation to Modi and to “r eaffirm commitment to holding Indian officials accountable for interference and violence in Canada.” More coming … National Post staylor@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.