Days after meeting Modi at G7 Summit, Trudeau says he sees ‘opportunity’ to engage with new Indian govt

In an interview to CBC News, Trudeau added that there is an alignment between India and Canada on various “big issues”.

Modi and Trudeau had met on the sidelines of the recently concluded G7 Summit in Apulia, southern Italy. This was their first meeting since Trudeau made his allegations against India in the Canadian Parliament in September last year.

In the interview, Trudeau said that during the Summit, “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, they’re really important economic ties.”

“There’s alignment on a number of big issues that we need to work on as, as democracies as a global community. But now that he (Modi) is 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 that we will be engaging,” he further said.

When asked if there has been “improvement in cooperation from India” in the Nijjar murder probe, Trudeau said, “There is work ongoing very much.”

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had strongly condemned Trudeau’s allegations last year, calling them “absurd and motivated”. India has consistently maintained that the main reason behind the strain in diplomatic relations between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity. India has also repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” regarding the same.

Nijjar’s murder is being probed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Four Indian nationals have been arrested in this connection by the RCMP.