The head of a Canadian political party that has been keeping Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in power said on Friday he would vote in favor of a motion of no-confidence in the government.

New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh made the commitment in an open letter. If all the opposition parties do vote together on a motion of no-confidence in the Liberal government, Trudeau will lose power and an election will occur.

The House of Commons is on a winter break and a formal motion of no-confidence cannot be presented until after legislators have returned on Jan 27.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Canada’s New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A day after Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) alleged that some Indian diplomats were involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist, Canadian Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh on Tuesday (October 15, 2024) demanded a ban on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and sanctions against the Indian diplomats.

Mr. Singh is the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) had in the past supported the ruling government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Also Read: Canada alleges extortion, homicide and violent acts by New Delhi, following mutual expulsion of diplomats 

India has denied the allegations and said that Canada is harbouring terrorist groups and promoting separatist activities.

The NDP leader, who is known for his pro-Khalistan stance, at a news conference in Ottawa requested an emergency meeting with the Public Security Committee to better understand if there are other steps they can take to protect the Canadians.

“We demand that the Liberal government implement severe sanctions on Indian diplomats and banish the RSS, a violent, militant, terrorist organization from India, which is a group that operates here in Canada and in other countries as well,” Mr. Singh said, a day after he was briefed by the Canadian government on its side of the allegations against India.

“The briefing confirmed what was shared publicly, that this is a very serious allegation. It confirmed some of the background of how we got here. Really what it highlighted is that we’ve got the Indian government, specifically the Modi government, that is engaged through diplomats in Canada, criminal elements that have then gone on to shoot at Canadian homes, to shoot at Canadian businesses, to kill Canadians. That is very serious,” he alleged.

“As the RCMP mentioned, the briefing also mentioned, that there are deep concerns for Canadian safety, and that’s why I really believe it is our responsibility if we believe in protecting our country, I love this country, we need to do everything possible to keep people safe and to keep our democracy safe,” he said.

“That’s why I’m committed to the actions that I’ve laid out, additional steps to see what we can do to keep Canadians safe by having an emergency meeting of the Public Safety Committee as well as making sure that we take steps to ban this extremist organization, the RSS, that comes from India, as well as making sure that we impose these severe sanctions on Indian diplomats,” he said.

“Are you being targeted?” he was asked.

“It’s not about me. This is about the fact that Canadians are a serious threat and serious risk. What the RCMP described is something that should be really troubling. When these acts of violence happen, if someone’s shooting, if an organized member of crime is being hired or being engaged by a diplomat, which just sounds incredibly disturbing. If that’s happening, that threatens everyone that lives in that community, everyone that lives in that neighbourhood. When businesses are being shot at, anyone that lives nearby, anyone that’s walking nearby, this is a threat to all Canadians. And it should be taken with the utmost seriousness,” he said.

Mr. Singh said “we need to work with our allies to put pressure on India”.

“We need to work with the United States. There’s similar scenarios that have played out in the United Kingdom. So, it’s clear that we need to work with our allies to put pressure on India. But there’s got to be accountability. The Indian government has to be held to account. The Modi government has to be held to account. We all need to be unified as Canadian leaders. All of us have to be united in denouncing Modi and making sure we protect Canadians and put their safety first and foremost,” he said.

Canada’s New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh has again alleged an Indian government hand in the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar despite police personnel not giving any evidence of any link to India’s involvement in the murder.

Jagmeet Singh’s NDP has supported the Liberal minority government led by Justin Trudeau in exchange for support on some key bills.

After the Canadian police announced the arrest of three accused in the killing of Nijjar, Mr. Singh claimed that there was an Indian hand in the same. In a post on X, he wrote, “The Indian government hired assassins to murder a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil — at a place of worship. Today 3 arrests were made. Let me be clear — any Indian agent or state actor that ordered, planned or carried out this murder must be exposed and met with the full force of Canadian law. For Canada, democracy and free speech – there must be Justice for Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”

Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau had alleged an Indian hand in the killing, a claim that was vehemently denied by India which called it ‘absurd and motivated’.

Candian Police personnel have also not given any evidence of any link to India as was being speculated in Canadian media.

Earlier on Friday, Canadian police released photographs of all three persons arrested in the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year amid an ongoing probe into alleged connections of the Indian government.

In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) named the three men, all Indian nationals, as Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karan Brar, 22 and released their photographs. The trio were arrested in Edmonton City in Alberta.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) of Surrey, RCMP on Friday (local time) said that on the morning of May 3, IHIT investigators, with the assistance of members from the British Columbia and Alberta RCMP and the Edmonton Police Service, arrested the three men for the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.

The trio have now been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the homicide, according to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police press release.

Along with photographs of the three accused, the Canadian police have also released the photographs of the car believed to have been used by the suspects in the time leading up to the homicide, in and around the Surrey area.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. The video of his killing that reportedly surfaced in March this year showed Nijjar being shot by armed men in what has been described as a “contract killing.”