Jody Thomas, former national security and intelligence adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said Canada is “working toward a healthier relationship” with India after months of tension following the killing of a British Columbia man. “There is,” he said.
Thomas made the comments during an interview with CBC News Network on Friday. rosemary burton live About her retirement. After Thomas served for two years, she announced on January 26 that she would be retiring.
Diplomatic relations between Canada and India have been strained since Prime Minister Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the shooting death of Canadian national and British Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Prime Minister Jody Thomas’ national security and intelligence adviser said India’s response to Canada’s claims was “truly disappointing” and “counterproductive.” In September, Canada accused the Indian government of involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India forcefully rejected this accusation, and relations rapidly deteriorated. Last September, India suspended all visa services in Canada. They reopened two months later.
In October, 41 Canadian diplomats left the country after New Delhi threatened to revoke their diplomatic immunity. Those diplomats have not returned.
Thomas, who flew to India to discuss the allegations, said he was “really disappointed” and “a little surprised” by the Indian authorities’ response.
“It’s counterproductive because it undermines the people-to-people relationship between Canada and India. We need diplomats to issue visas and run programs on behalf of Canadians and Indians,” Thomas added.
RCMP are investigating the shooting, but more information has come to light since police investigated the incident. A separate U.S. indictment released in late November alleges that a conspiracy linked to the Indian government to carry out multiple assassinations in North America was thwarted.
In the indictment filed in New York, U.S. prosecutors allege that Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, sent the contract killer a video of Nijjar’s body and told him to “do it quickly.” .
After the charges were lifted and multiple G7 countries lined up behind Canada, Prime Minister Trudeau told CBC that India seemed more willing to cooperate on the issue.
Thomas said the RCMP is making sure “all the ‘T’s’ are crossed and all the ‘I’s’ are dotted to ensure a successful prosecution.”
“We need more transparency.”
Thomas also addressed foreign election interference, saying more transparency is needed about the entire file.
In February 2023, confidential Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documents were leaked to the Globe and Mail suggesting that China interfered in the 2021 federal election. The document also claims that China wanted to form a minority Liberal government.
A month later, the Globe and Mail published an anonymous opinion piece written by Reeker claiming that “evidence is beginning to mount that senior civil servants are ignoring the intervention.”
An investigation into foreign election interference will begin next week. Thomas said that even though the public has access to unclassified reports on the issue, “the average Canadian doesn’t read them.”
“What has become very clear is that we need to talk [foreign interference] Before the election, in some cases during the election, and even after the election,” Thomas said.
“The first time you talk about the Commission on Foreign Interference in Elections shouldn’t be when there’s a problem. We need to be more transparent.”
The government claims that the Indian government and its intelligence agencies were involved in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian territory, but some believe that is unlikely. CBC’s Adrienne Arceneaux details whether the accusations can be addressed and the implications if they’re true.
Asked whether the leak was beneficial because it prompted authorities to take action, Thomas demurred.
“I don’t think we can ever agree that there is any benefit to leaking information,” she said.
Thomas said the “individuals” who leaked the information “had views on what should be done, or the government is not taking action, without necessarily knowing what action was being taken.” Ta.
“I remain very confident in the RCMP’s ability to find those responsible.”
