Ottawa:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday appointed Steven MacKinnon, a Liberal member of parliament from Quebec, as the new labor minister, filling a vacancy created when Seamus O’Regan stepped down for personal reasons.

MacKinnon, who had been temporarily in charge of government business in the lower chamber since January, takes over the labour portfolio at a shaky time for Trudeau’s government, with its popularity among voters slumping in part because of high inflation and a shortage of affordable housing.

O’Regan, who represents a constituency in the province of Newfoundland, announced his resignation on Thursday, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

A surprise loss to the main opposition Conservative Party in a once-safe Toronto constituency in a special election last month has fueled questions about the Trudeau government’s leadership and strategy. With about 15 months left before the next general election is due, a range of polls show the Liberals would lose badly to the Conservatives after being in power since November 2015.

Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper, citing unidentified sources, reported a rift between senior Trudeau aides and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland over concerns about her effectiveness in the key role.

The newspaper has also reported that Trudeau had met Mark Carney, a former Bank of Canada governor, about recruiting him into the government.

Pressed by reporters during briefings, both Trudeau and Freeland have stopped short of categorically denying that a change in the finance portfolio was in the offing.

When asked about the matter, Trudeau said he has confidence in Freeland but did not say whether she would remain as finance minister.

Freeland, who also serves as deputy prime minister, declined to say whether Trudeau had assured her that she would keep the job.

Trudeau has shuffled his cabinet once since forming a minority government after the 2021 election

The Liberal leader recruited seven new members of parliament into his cabinet in July 2023, but heavy hitters such as Freeland, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne and Foreign Minister Melanie Joly kept their portfolios.

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

Ottawa:

In a stunning blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his Liberal Party lost a closely-watched federal by-election on Tuesday to the Conservatives from a longtime Liberal stronghold, prompting opposition leader Pierre Poilievre to demand a snap election.

In a nail-biting finish, Conservative candidate Don Stewart won the Liberal stronghold of Toronto-St. Paul’s by defeating Liberal Party’s Leslie Church by 590 votes. The contest also featured Amrit Parhar, an Indian-origin candidate from the New Democratic Party.

Toronto-St. Paul’s is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario province. The Liberal Party had held Toronto-St Paul’s since 1993. It is one of 338 seats in the House of Commons.

Stewart’s victory over Church is shocking because the seat has been held by the Liberals for more than 30 years, Canadian media commented.

Before Monday, the seat was held by the Liberals for 10 successive elections. Former MP Carolyn Bennett — whose appointment as ambassador to Denmark triggered the byelection — had been the local representative for over 25 years.

“Thank you, Toronto-St. Paul’s! I am beyond humbled for the trust you have put in me and I will never take it for granted. I promise to be YOUR voice on Parliament Hill,” Stewart posted on X.

His rival, Church in her remarks after she lost the race, noted that the Liberals have got 16 months until the next election. “I plan to be the Liberal candidate in St. Paul’s. We start working to earn back the trust of voters…,” she posted on X.

“Congratulations to Don Stewart on a well run campaign. We look forward to the rematch,” she wrote.

According to the preliminary results, Stewart won 42.1 per cent of the vote with 15,555 votes cast for him, while Church received 40.5 per cent of the vote, with 14,965 ballots cast for her. The NDP candidate Parhar came a distant third with 10.9 per cent of the votes. Christian Cullis, who ran for the Green Party, received 2.9 per cent of the votes.

Losing the historic stronghold is likely to pile pressure on Prime Minister Trudeau, Global News reported.

“The Liberals’ poor showing in a stronghold like this could prompt some soul-searching for Trudeau, who has seen his popularity plummet as inflation, the cost of living crisis, high home prices and surging immigration levels drive voter discontent,” CBC News commented.

This Conservative upset is likely to lead to some anxiety in the Liberal caucus because such a dramatic vote swing could put other supposedly “safe” seats in play for the Conservatives in the next general election, expected to be in 2025, it said.

Conservative Leader Poilievre demanded Prime Minister Trudeau call a snap election after what he described as a “shocking upset” on social media Tuesday.

“Here is the verdict: Trudeau can’t go on like this. He must call a carbon tax election now,” Poilievre wrote on X.

Voters in Toronto-St. Paul’s told CBC News throughout the campaign that the government’s handling of the housing crisis, inflation and the Israel-Hamas conflict were sore spots.

But it wasn’t just about the issues – several voters expressed a desire for change and fatigue with Trudeau.

Even past and present Liberal supporters told CBC News Trudeau should resign as leader if the party loses this one-time ruby-red Liberal seat.

Trudeau, whose allegations in September last year of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of a Sikh terrorist in Canada caused a severe strain in Ottawa’s relations with New Delhi, has given no indication he’s stepping down.

The 52-year-old prime minister has repeatedly said he will lead the Liberal Party into the federal election that is expected sometime next year.

Meanwhile, national polling shows Trudeau’s Liberal Party struggling to attract and retain support, with Conservative support growing.  A poll conducted by Ipsos for Global News suggested Trudeau’s waning popularity appears to be “dragging” the Liberals’ fortunes down.

A majority of voters (68 per cent) want him to step down, with Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker describing the numbers as “close to rock bottom,” while Conservative Leader Poilievre, 45, is gaining ground.

That poll put the Conservatives at 42 per cent of the decided vote, with the Liberals at 24 per cent. Almost half – 44 per cent – said they felt Conservative Leader Poilievre would make the best prime minister, while 75 per cent of Canadians want another party to take government from the Liberals.

Just 25 per cent think the Liberals “deserve reelection,” Global News reported.

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

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question during the question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Canadian parliamentarians stood for a moment of silence to mark one year since the killing of Khalistani separatist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18, in a sign that bilateral ties between India and Canada are likely to spiral further downwards, despite a meeting between the two countries’ Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi and Justin Trudeau, in Italy on June 14 .

Khalistani groups were also allowed to take out processions in different Canadian cities, where they shouted anti-India slogans over the killing and called for a trial against Indian officials and Mr. Modi. This came a day after Mr. Trudeau had said that “keeping Canadians safe” — a reference to the Nijjar killing — was a priority in his talks with Mr. Modi.

The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the Canadian parliament’s decision to commemorate the death of Mr. Nijjar, which was taken after an “agreement between representatives of all parties in the House”, according to the Canadian House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus. Mr. Nijjar was wanted on terror charges by the Indian government, which had placed him on its terror list under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. New Delhi had also requested Ottawa to extradite him to India.

Kanishka bombing memorial

In what appeared to be a pointed response to the Canadian parliament’s actions, however, the Indian consulate in Vancouver announced on June 19 that a memorial would be held next week to mark the anniversary of the bombing of an Air India Kanishka plane flying the Montreal-Bombay route, carried out by Khalistani separatists in 1985. The attack killed 329 people, including 268 Canadians and 24 Indians. The consulate urged the Indian diaspora to attend.

“India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat,” the consulate wrote on its social media handle, asking people of Indian origin in Canada to “join the event in a show of solidarity against terrorism”.

Keeping Canadians safe’

The meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Trudeau on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy was the first time the two had come face to face since Mr. Trudeau had, in September 2023, accused Indian “government agents” of being involved in the Nijjar killing and expelled India’s station intelligence chief based in Ottawa. India had responded by cancelling visas, expelling a Canadian diplomat, and ordering the Canadian High Commission’s strength to be reduced by two-thirds. Since then, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has arrested four Indian nationals, but has yet to announce any evidence connecting them to the government.  

After meeting Mr. Modi, who only tweeted a photograph on the exchange with a brief comment, Mr. Trudeau had said that the two Prime Ministers had “committed to work together” to resolve important issues. 

India second-biggest foreign threat to Canadian democracy: report

“Now that he [Mr. 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,” Mr. Trudeau said in an interview on June 17 , indicating that the Nijjar case continued to be a top priority.

Stark contrasts

While neither New Delhi nor Ottawa commented on the two separate memorial events, the framing of the anniversaries of the Air India bombing, the single worst act of terror in Canada, and the killing of Mr. Nijjar, who was wanted on terror charges in India, highlights the stark contrast between them.

While India has raised the issue of Canada providing safe havens to Khalistani groups accused of terrorism, who are planning to conduct a “referendum” for a separate State in India, Canada has made the issue about Canadian sovereignty and rule of law, accusing India of “interfering” in Canadian affairs. In addition, Canada has contested Indian claims that it has shared no evidence in the Nijjar case thus far, and also denied that it is blocking Indian requests for the extradition of Canadian citizens wanted for terror.

New Delhi:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed hope that with Prime Minister Narendra Modi back for a third term, talks with India can resume on “some very serious issues around national security and keeping Canadians safe and the rule of law” — issues that had caused friction between the two nations last year.

Mr Trudeau had voiced his expectation in an interview with CBC News today. “There’s alignment on a number of big issues that we need to work on as, as democracies as a global community,” he said.

“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 added.

India-Canada ties have been under strain since last year, after Mr Trudeau’s allegations about the “potential” involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India’s most-wanted terrorist who is also a Canadian citizen.

India rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated” and expressed concern about Canada becoming a hub of pro-Khalistan Sikhs — which Canada has so far not acknowledged.

Mr Trudeau’s comments came after PM Modi tweeted a photo of their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Italy.

Unlike the photos of meeting with other leaders he tweeted — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — the caption for the meeting with Trudeau was just a one-liner.

Met Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau at the G7 Summit. pic.twitter.com/e67ajADDWi

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2024

The meeting was a sequel to the exchange of tweets between the two leaders after the results of the general election came out earlier this month.

“Congratulations to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his electoral victory. Canada stands ready to work with his government to advance the relationship between our nations’ peoples—anchored to human rights, diversity, and the rule of law,” Mr Trudeau’s post read.

In response, PM Modi posted, “Thank you @CanadianPM for the congratulatory message. India looks forward to working with Canada based on mutual understanding and respect for each others concerns,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

Thank you @CanadianPM for the congratulatory message. India looks forward to working with Canada based on mutual understanding and respect for each others concerns. https://t.co/QQJFngoMyH

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 10, 2024

Mr Trudeau’s tweet came on June 6 – a day a Canadian parliamentary committee designated India as the second-most significant threat to Canada’s democracy.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot outside a gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. The murder is being investigated by the Royal Canada Mounted Police and four persons have been arrested.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Outreach Summit, in Apulia on Friday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Amidst severe strain in bilateral ties, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on June 15 that there was a commitment to work together with India to deal with some “very important issues” after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

PM Modi had posted an image on social media of the two leaders shaking hands on June 14, with a one-liner saying “met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit”.

The meeting which took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, southern Italy, is the first amid strained diplomatic relations over pro-Khalistani extremism after Mr. Trudeau alleged that Canadian authorities are “actively pursuing credible allegations” related to Indian Government involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist.

The Canadian allegations from last year were strongly rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “absurd and motivated”.

“I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues,” Mr. Trudeau  told reporters at a press conference in Savelletri Di Fasano in Italy on June 15, the concluding day of the three-day G7 Summit.

The last meeting between the two leaders happened on the sidelines of the G20 Summit hosted by India in September.

Soon after the meeting on June 14 evening, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said the leaders had a “brief discussion on the bilateral relationship”, during which Mr. Trudeau  also congratulated PM Modi on his re-election.

“Of course, there are important issues between our two countries right now. You can appreciate that we won’t be making any further statements at this time,” spokesperson Ann-Clara Vaillancourt was quoted by the Canadian Press news agency as saying.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements.

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.

PM Modi’s meeting with Mr. Trudeau came at the end of a packed day of bilateral meetings for the Prime Minister, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — the host of the summit. He also had discussions with other world leaders gathered for the summit, including with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Modi joined leaders of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to address the Outreach session on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean, along with Pope Francis, on the invitation of Meloni.

New Delhi:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday said there is a commitment to work with India on some “very important issues” amid a massive diplomatic row. 

Justin Trudeau’s remarks come a day after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G7 Summit in Italy on Friday.

“I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues,” Trudeau told reporters.

PM Modi’s meeting with the Canadian counterpart comes amid strained ties after Canadian authorities alleged India’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. 

The two leaders earlier met at the G20 Summit hosted by India in September last year.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was wanted in India on various terror charges, was shot dead outside a Gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

Canada’s charge against India sparked a massive row with both countries expelling diplomats of the other country.

Three Indians were arrested in Canada  in May in connection with Nijjar’s murder. India has said there are “political interests at work” in the matter and reiterated its position that separatists and extremists have been given political space in the country.

While Trudeau had claimed after the arrests that Canada is “a rule-of-law country” and the investigation into the murder is not limited to the three Indians, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that, despite warnings from Delhi, Canada has been issuing visas to people with links to organised crime.

India has been asserting that its “core issue” with Canada remained that of the space given to separatists, terrorists and anti-India elements in that country.

Canada Minister Marc Miller. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller has rejected External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s remark that Ottawa is “lax” about admitting people into the country, saying authorities conduct a criminal record check on people entering Canada on student visas.

On May 4, Mr. Jaishankar said that India had “convinced them (Canadian authorities) several times not to give visa, legitimacy or political space to such people which is causing problems for them (Canada), for us and also for our relationship. “But the Canadian government has not done anything,” Mr. Jaishankar said, adding that India sought the extradition of 25 people, most of whom are pro-Khalistan, but they did not pay any heed.

His remarks came after Canadian authorities charged three Indian nationals with the murder of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. It is reported that they entered Canada on student visas.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Karan Brar (22) Kamalpreet Singh (22) and Karanpreet Singh (28) all Indian nationals residing in Edmonton, have been charged on Friday with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Responding to a question on April 7 about Mr. Jaishankar’s remarks, Mr. Miller said, “We’re not lax, and the Indian Foreign Minister is entitled to his opinion,” reported the Cable Public Affairs Channel — a Canadian speciality television channel.

When asked what the Canadian government planned on doing about it, he said, “About what the Indian Foreign Minister said? Let him speak his mind. It’s just not accurate.” He said that Canada conducts a criminal record check on people entering the country on student visas, and when asked how this works, he said. “You check them in if they have a criminal record; they don’t come in.” Canada takes “any report like this very seriously,” Mr. Miller said.

He refused to confirm if the three Indians arrested for Nijjar’s murder were in Canada on a student visa, asserting that there’s information that he can’t share at the time because of the ongoing police investigation.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar, a Khalistan separatist.

India has dismissed Mr. Trudeau’s charges as “absurd” and “motivated.” The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated India, which had designated Nijjar a “terrorist.” After the arrest of the three Indian nationals in connection with the murder, police in Canada said they had worked with the U.S. law enforcement agencies without giving additional details. The police suggested more arrests might be coming.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, the force’s commander for the Pacific region said last week that he wouldn’t comment on the alleged links between the three men arrested and Indian officials but noted the force is “investigating connections to the government of India.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Jaishankar on May 4 said what is happening in poll-bound Canada over the killing of Nijjar is mostly due to their internal vote bank politics and has nothing to do with India.

He said a section of pro-Khalistan people are using Canada’s democracy, creating a lobby and have become a vote bank.

Toronto:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday that the investigation into the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar is “not limited” to the arrest of three Indian nationals and is ongoing.

Trudeau said that it is important because “Canada is a rule-of-law country”.

The Canada PM’s remarks came days after three Indian nationals were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of Nijjar.

The Canadian police on Saturday released photographs of all three persons arrested in the last year’s killing of Nijjar amid an ongoing probe into the alleged connections of the Indian government.

The police have not given any evidence of any link to India, as was being speculated in Canadian media. India has repeatedly denied the allegations, terming them “absurd and motivated.”

Giving an address at the Sikh Foundation of Canada’s Centennial Gala event held at the Royal Ontario Museum on Sunday, Trudeau began by acknowledging the arrests made in connection to the case, emphasising that the investigation remains ongoing.

“I need to begin, somewhat awkwardly perhaps, but importantly, to acknowledge the arrests that were made in relation to the murder of Nijjar. As the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) stated, the investigation remains ongoing, as does a separate and distinct investigation, not limited to the involvement of the three people arrested yesterday,” he said.

He highlighted Canada’s status as a rule-of-law country with a robust and independent justice system. “This is important because Canada is a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, as well as a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens. I know that many Canadians, particularly members of the Sikh community, are feeling uneasy and perhaps even frightened right now,” Trudeau added.

Trudeau also reassured that every Canadian has the fundamental right to live safely and free from discrimination and violence. He urged them to “remain calm… remain steadfast in our commitment to our democratic principles and our system of justice. This is who we are and what we do as Canadians”.

A day ago, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Canada has been issuing visas to people with links to organised crime despite warnings from New Delhi. Jaishankar said some people in Canada, with ‘pro-Pakistan leanings’, have organised themselves politically and taken the shape of an influential political lobby. He said he saw reports that three people have been arrested, and, the Canadian police have conducted ‘some investigation’.

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.

On June 18, 2023, the Surrey RCMP received a report of a shooting at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey. First responding members located a man, later identified as Hardeep Singh Nijjar, suffering from fatal gunshot wounds inside a vehicle.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has been carrying out the investigation. It has continued to work closely with a number of partner agencies and support services across Canada, as far east as Ontario, including the Surrey RCMP, the Alberta RCMP and other Lower Mainland Integrated Teams.

Nijjar’s killing triggered diplomatic tensions between Canada and India after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in the killing — a claim that India has rejected as “absurd.”

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”.

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

Ottawa:

In an unusual move, the leader of Canada’s main opposition party was ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday after he called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “a wacko”, the latest clash between two men set to fight an election next year.

The official opposition right-of-center Conservatives are well ahead in the polls and leader Pierre Poilievre regularly attacks the Liberal government for a carbon tax he says is spiking inflation.

“When will we put an end to this wacko policy by this wacko prime minister?” he asked Trudeau in the House of Commons elected lower chamber.

Speaker Greg Fergus, a Liberal, told Poilievre the comment was both unparliamentary and unacceptable and asked him four times to withdraw it. Poilievre declined on each occasion, saying instead he would use the word extremist or radical.

Fergus told Poilievre he was disregarding the speaker’s authority and said: “I order to you to withdraw from the House … for the remainder of this day’s sitting.”

Poilievre and most of his legislators then left.

Trudeau has a testy relationship with Poilievre, who he accuses of being an extremist and a supporter of the Make America Great Again movement of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trudeau spoke to reporters earlier on Tuesday and accused Poilievre of spending time with far right groups.

“That is not responsible leadership. That is dangerous for democracy, it’s dangerous for Canadians,” he said.

Ejections from the House are relatively rare. The speaker’s office was not immediately available to comment on the last time a leader of the official opposition had been booted out.

The next election must be held by late October 2025 and surveys of public opinion indicate the Conservatives would win a large majority over the center-left Liberals, who have been in power since November 2015.

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

New Delhi on Monday summoned Canadian Deputy High Commissioner over raising of separatist slogans on ‘Khalistan’ at an event addressed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, underlining that it impacts the relations between the two countries and encourages “climate of violence”.

“The Government of India’s deep concern and strong protest was conveyed at such disturbing actions being allowed to continue unchecked at the event. This illustrates once again the political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism and violence,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.

“Their continued expressions not only impact India-Canada relations but also encourage a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens,” the statement added.

As PM Trudeau walked up to the stage for his address to mark Khalsa Day, the chants of ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ kept getting louder, showed a video released by Canada-based CPAC TV.

It happened again when Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre walked up to the stage to begin his address. New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow were also present at the event.

Thousands of people flocked to downtown Toronto on Sunday for one of the biggest yearly gatherings in the city.

In his address, Trudeau, who has angered India with allegations that it was involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, also vowed to always protect the rights and freedoms of Sikhs in Canada and defend the community against hatred and discrimination.

India has rejected the Canadian government’s allegations as “absurd and motivated.” India accuses Ottawa of harbouring Sikh separatists.