Commerce Minister Mary Ng recommended Wednesday that Canada will not restart its commerce talks with India till Narendra Modi’s authorities co-operates with the investigation into the homicide of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver final June.
In a media scrum on the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation summit in San Francisco, a reporter requested Ng whether or not there was a path again to resuming commerce talks between the 2 international locations.
“Proper now, the main focus for Canada is to let the work of the investigation proceed,” the minister mentioned. “You’ve got heard me and the federal government discuss how essential it’s that investigation occurs on condition that we had a Canadian killed on Canadian soil. So we’ll let that occur.”
Ng mentioned Canadian companies proceed to do enterprise in India and her job as commerce minister is to ensure they’ve the helps and instruments they want.
When requested to make clear whether or not she was making a direct hyperlink between the necessity for co-operation on this investigation and the resumption of commerce talks, Ng mentioned no.
“Our focus is in fact on this investigation, that work has to happen,” she mentioned. “And for Canadian companies, simply to reassure them, as a result of they count on that of their authorities, that the instruments can be found to them as they proceed to do enterprise and to take a position and to make investments and appeal to funding, that the companies of the Canadian authorities proceed to be there for them.”
The scrum then ended.
India’s Excessive Commissioner to Canada first advised The Canadian Press in September that commerce talks had been paused by Canada, with out a full clarification at the moment.
It was later reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s nationwide safety adviser travelled to India final summer time to confront Indian officers with proof gathered by 5 Eyes intelligence companions that recommended the Modi authorities was concerned in Nijjar’s homicide.
Featured VideoHardeep Singh Nijjar was a pro-Khalistan activist and the president of a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C. His day job was working as a plumber. For years, the Indian authorities known as him a terrorist — a declare Nijjar repeatedly denied. So, who was Nijjar, and why did India suppose he was such a hazard?
Nijjar was shot useless exterior a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C., on June 18.
Following an uncomfortable journey to India for the G20 summit, the place the homicide was once more raised in non-public, Trudeau rose within the Home of Commons on Sept. 18 and publicly accused the Indian authorities of being concerned within the killing.
India’s authorities rejected the allegation, calling it “absurd.”
India then threatened to revoke the diplomatic immunity of some Canadian diplomats, forcing the Canadian authorities to withdraw 41 Canadian diplomats from India.
The Canadian authorities has accused Modi’s authorities of failing to co-operate with its investigation into the homicide.
Allies just like the U.S. and the U.Ok. have utilized stress on India to work with Canadian authorities on the continuing legal investigation into Nijjar’s killing.
Final Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated his name for the federal government of India to co-operate with Canada on the continuing legal investigation into the killing of the Canadian in British Columbia.
Blinken mentioned he raised the problem along with his Indian counterpart, Exterior Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in a gathering in New Delhi.
“These are two of our closest buddies and companions, and naturally we need to see them resolving any variations or disputes that they’ve,” Blinken advised reporters.
