‘Canada will always defend freedom of peaceful protest.....’: PM Justin Trudeau on Khalistan extremism | Mint - Mint

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On the side lines of the 18th Group of 20 Summit (G20 Summit) being held in Delhi, India, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi met. They discussed about the India-Canada relationship across various sectors.

After the G-20 Summit meet concluded, PM Trudeau addressed a press conference in Delhi where he answered queries on Khalistan extremism and said, “Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and it is extremely important to us.. at the same time we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred".

On Khalistan extremism and "foreign interference", PM Trudeau said, "I think on the issue of the community, it is important to remember that the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada. The flip side of it, we also highlighted the importance of respecting the rule of law and we did talk about foreign interference..."

“India is an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner to Canada" Trudeau added.

India’s relationship with Canada are being touted to be in a tight spot. Tensions have flared in recent months over the presence of pro-Khalistan separatist groups in the maple country. In a significant move, just before the G20 Summit, Canada has reportedly suggested putting a pause on the ongoing free trade talks with India.

As reported by Mint earlier, trouble began to surface for India and Canada's diplomatic relationship after a spate of attacks from pro-Khalistan groups on India’s embassies and consulates across the world. These were triggered by the nationwide manhunt for pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh.

Demonstrations outside the High Commission of India in Ottawa were labeled “threatening" by India’s ambassador to Canada. Besides this, there were investigations into the use of smoke grenades in these demonstrations.

PM Modi meets PM Trudeau

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on the side lines of the G20 Summit and discussed full range of India-Canada ties across different sectors.

In a post on X, Modi said, “Met PM @JustinTrudeau on the side lines of the G20 Summit. We discussed the full range of India-Canada ties across different sectors."

Modi has held several bilateral meetings over the last three days as world leaders gathered for the G20 Summit that concluded on Sunday.