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Canada no longer links India to violent crimes on its soil, says senior official

Ahead of PM Mark Carney’s India visit, Ottawa signals reset after Nijjar row and years of diplomatic freeze

5 min readFeb 26, 2026 09:35 AM IST

The statement comes ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India.

A senior Canadian official said Ottawa no longer links India to violent crimes on Canadian soil. (File Photo)

In a vindication of India’s consistent stand, the Canadian federal government has concluded that India is not involved in violent criminal activity on Canadian soil, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The assessment was shared during a closed-door briefing ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India, which begins Thursday. Officials described steady progress in bilateral security dialogue and cooperation between Ottawa and New Delhi.

According to The Toronto Star, a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, referred to “very robust diplomatic engagement”, including regular contact between national security advisers, and said there was confidence that the troubling activities had ceased. “I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kinds of activities were continuing,” another official was quoted as saying.

The Indian government, which has consistently denied any role in criminal acts in Canada, is expected to welcome the change in tone.

Ties between the two countries had gone into a tailspin after the killing of separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023 in the parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Then prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons on September 18, 2023, that Canadian security agencies were “actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link” between agents of the Indian government and the murder of a Canadian citizen. He termed any foreign involvement in such an act “an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.

The allegation triggered tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions. Canada expelled a senior Indian intelligence official; India responded by expelling a Canadian counterpart and sought a reduction in Canadian diplomatic staff. Ottawa continued to voice concerns through 2024, even as four men were charged in the Nijjar case.

Relations between the two nations began to stabilise after Carney assumed office on March 14, 2025. Within three months, he hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in Canada, where the two leaders agreed to restore high commissioners and expand cooperation in trade, energy, critical minerals, technology, artificial intelligence and defence. A subsequent meeting on the sidelines of the G20 in Johannesburg in November 2025 reaffirmed what both sides described as “positive momentum”, including discussions on a possible Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

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Carney’s nine-day tour, which includes India, Australia and Japan, is being framed by Ottawa as part of a broader effort to diversify trade and reduce dependence on an unpredictable United States under President Donald Trump. In India, he will travel to Mumbai and New Delhi for business engagements and talks with Modi.

International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, who is accompanying Carney, said Canada could pursue both community safety and economic cooperation, pointing to recent agreements on law-enforcement liaison mechanisms.

Notably, Carney’s four-day India itinerary does not include a visit to Punjab. The omission departs from the practice of previous Canadian prime ministers, who made it a point to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, as a gesture towards Canada’s sizeable Punjabi-origin diaspora.

Trudeau visited the shrine with his family in February 2018, while Stephen Harper did so in 2009 and again in 2012, when he also travelled to Anandpur Sahib and the Virasat-e-Khalsa heritage complex. Jean Chrétien had similarly paid obeisance during his 2003 visit.

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Officials in Carney’s office have described the current trip as deliberately business-focused, with cultural outreach to be undertaken in Canada.

The India leg has already drawn protests from fringe separatist groups in Canada. Supporters of Sikhs for Justice, an organisation banned in India, rallied on Parliament Hill, some placing an Indian flag on the ground and calling for Carney’s removal.

Moninder Singh, described as an associate of Nijjar, criticised the visit, saying a Vancouver police officer had recently delivered a fourth threat alert to him, extending this time to his wife and children.

Speaking to The Toronto Star on Feb 25, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, signaled. a positive reser in the bilateral relations: “I do believe we can do two things at the same time. We can keep our community safe. We can have law enforcement dialogue … and we can continue to engage with partners around the world economically.”

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He pointed to his own riding of Brampton East, home to Canada’s largest South Asian population in a single constituency, and the recent wave of extortion cases there, while noting that Ottawa and New Delhi have just agreed to appoint law-enforcement liaison officers in each other’s countries.

Manraj Grewal Sharma

Manraj Grewal Sharma is a senior journalist and the Resident Editor of The Indian Express in Chandigarh, where she leads the newspaper’s coverage of north India’s most politically and institutionally significant regions. From Punjab and Haryana to Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Chandigarh, she oversees reporting at the intersection of governance, law, politics and society. She also reports on the diaspora, especially in Canada and the US. With a career spanning journalism across several countries, academia and international development, Manraj brings a rare depth of perspective to regional reporting. She is widely regarded as a leading chronicler of Punjab’s contemporary history and socio-political evolution, particularly its long shadow of militancy, federal tensions and identity politics. Her book, Dreams after Darkness, remains a definitive account of the militancy years and their enduring aftermath. Professional Background & Expertise A gold medalist in mass communication and a post-graduate in English literature, Manraj has a multifaceted career spanning journalism, academia, and international development. She was also awarded a fellowship by National Foundation of India and did several in-depth pieces on Manipur. Internationally, she has reported from Israel, US, UK, Myanmar, and Mauritius Her key focus areas include: Regional Politics, History, Agriculture, Diaspora, and Security. Of late, she has started focusing on Legal & Judicial Affairs: Much of her recent work involves reporting on high-stakes cases in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, ranging from environmental policy to civil rights. International Consulting: She previously served as a consulting editor for the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network and a publishing consultant for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. Academia: For five years, she was the managing editor of Gender, Technology and Development, a peer-reviewed international journal at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reportage focuses heavily on judicial interventions and regional governance: 1. Environment & Governance "‘NGT can’t test legality of policy’: HC hears challenge to Punjab’s ‘Green Habitat’ plan" (Dec 22, 2025): Covering a critical legal battle over whether the National Green Tribunal has the authority to strike down a state policy regularizing farmhouses on delisted forest land. "High court pulls up Punjab poll panel over audio clip probe" (Dec 10, 2025): Reporting on judicial concerns regarding the transparency and fairness of local body elections. 2. Legal Rights & Social Welfare "HC issues notice to Punjab, Haryana over delay in building old age homes" (Dec 22, 2025): Reporting on a contempt petition against top officials for failing to establish government-run homes for the elderly as promised in 2019. "Victims can appeal acquittals in sessions court without seeking special leave" (Dec 19, 2025): Highlighting a significant procedural shift in criminal law following a Supreme Court ruling. "HC upholds benefits for Punjab FCI officer acquitted in 20-year-old bribery case" (Dec 19, 2025): A report on the concept of "honourable acquittal" and its impact on employee benefits. 3. Human Rights & Identity "As Punjab denies parole to MP Amritpal Singh, HC asks it to submit ‘foundational material’" (Dec 1, 2025): Covering the legal proceedings regarding the radical preacher and sitting MP's request to attend Parliament. "Protecting life paramount: HC backs Muslim woman in live-in after verbal divorce" (Nov 6, 2025): Analyzing judicial protections for personal liberty in the context of traditional practices. Signature Beats Manraj is recognized for her ability to decode complex judicial rulings and relate them to the everyday lives of citizens. Whether it is a 30-year-old land battle in Fazilka or the political implications of Kangana Ranaut’s candidacy in Mandi, her writing provides deep historical and regional context. Contact @grewal_sharma on X manrajgrewalsharma on Instagram ... Read More

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