Canada’s opposition party leader Maxime Bernier on Thursday said that the allegations by Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Liberal government of Indian diplomats engaging in criminal activities in Canada are “deeply serious” and must be dealt with decisively.
He, however, added that while the claims are serious, the Canadian government has not presented any solid evidence so far. He also accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of using the crisis to divert attention from other issues.
Taking to X, the People’s Party of Canada leader said: “If true, allegations made by the RCMP and the Liberal government that Indian diplomats participated in criminal activities on our territory are very serious and should be dealt with. So far, however, we haven’t been given any proof. And Trudeau is clearly using this crisis to divert the attention from other controversies.”
If true, allegations made by the RCMP and the Liberal government that Indian diplomats participated in criminal activities on our territory are very serious and should be dealt with. So far however, we haven’t been given any proof. And Trudeau is clearly using this crisis to… pic.twitter.com/wM2dR8FMHl
— Maxime Bernier (@MaximeBernier) October 17, 2024
He also said that Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed last year, was not a Canadian.
“One myth should be dispelled though: That the central figure in this controversy, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Khalistani militant who was murdered last year, was a Canadian. He was actually a foreign terrorist who used fraudulent documents to claim asylum in Canada several times starting in 1997. His claims were rejected but he was nevertheless allowed to stay in this country and was somehow granted citizenship in 2007,” he said.
Bernier proposed that Nijjar’s citizenship be revoked posthumously “to correct this administrative error” and added that he should have been deported.
He also pointed out that the country’s long history of inviting foreigners and their conflicts was the reason for the prevailing situation in Canada. He urged the need to recognise this blunder and collaborate with the Indian government instead of risking relations with an important ally.