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India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a press conference with Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in Bangkok, Thailand, April 3, 2025. — Reuters/File
Members of Canada’s Sikh community, who were warned by law enforcement about potential threats to their lives, are outraged over Ottawa’s invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta. They claim the Indian government is behind the threats.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney extended the invitation to Modi, despite India not being a G7 member. The summit, beginning this Sunday, will mark Modi’s first trip to Canada in a decade and poses a diplomatic challenge for Carney, who is relatively new to politics.
Relations between Canada and India have been strained since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the June 18, 2023, assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist in Canada.
The Indian government has refuted these claims and accused Canada of offering sanctuary to Sikh separatists.
“Many in the community are expressing their outrage,” said Sikh activist Moninder Singh, a friend of Nijjar. Singh, along with other Sikh leaders, plans to protest in Ottawa this Saturday.
As Canada engages in a trade dispute with the United States, Carney is seeking to strengthen alliances globally and diversify Canadian exports. He mentioned that India’s role in international supply chains was instrumental in the decision to invite Modi.
India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, indicated that a meeting between Modi and Carney would provide a critical opportunity to discuss bilateral and global issues and potentially reset relations.
Threats to Sikhs
However, Singh, who resides in British Columbia, feels that the rationale for Modi’s invitation is inadequate. He has received multiple police warnings regarding threats to his life, which once forced him to leave his home to ensure his family’s safety.
“On both personal and community levels, it feels deeply disrespectful. It seems like Sikh lives are less important than accommodating the world’s fifth-largest economy,” he stated.
Carney’s office has yet to respond to requests for comments.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported in October that they had communicated numerous threats to activists like Singh who advocate for a Sikh homeland in India.
In another tense moment under Trudeau’s leadership, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to Nijjar’s murder and accusing the Indian government of targeting dissidents in Canada through various nefarious means. India retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats and dismissed the allegations as absurd and politically motivated, asserting that Canada lacks proof connecting Modi to these threats.
The rising tensions have put Canada’s Sikh community, the largest outside of India’s Punjab state, in a challenging spotlight.
Singh believes there should have been conditions attached to Modi’s invitation. “Any meeting should have included commitments from Modi and his government to take accountability for the incidents and cooperate, but that didn’t happen.”
Carney mentioned that Modi had agreed to a dialogue on law enforcement, while Jaiswal stated that Indian and Canadian law enforcement will continue to collaborate in certain areas.
Some activists and politicians in Canada have accused Carney of prioritizing economic interests over human rights. Nevertheless, Sanjay Ruparelia, a political science professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, argues that Carney is simply being realistic. “His approach has been pragmatic, and this is a practical, realpolitik decision.”
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