Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for his allegations against India regarding the alleged killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Poilievre called on Trudeau to provide all the facts so that Canadians can make informed judgments.
In a media address, Poilievre said, “The prime minister needs to be transparent with all the available evidence. We need to see all the facts so that Canadians can form their own opinions.”
Poilievre’s comments came in response to a question about the expulsion of an Indian diplomat by Canada in connection with Trudeau’s allegations.
He pointed out that Trudeau had not provided concrete evidence to support his claims. “The prime minister hasn’t presented any evidence. He made a statement, and I must emphasize that he didn’t share any more information with me privately than he did publicly. So, we need to see more information,” Poilievre stated.
He emphasized that without additional evidence, the allegations may not hold up. “To make a judgment, we need to see the evidence that led the prime minister to draw the conclusions he made yesterday,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre also noted Trudeau’s previous knowledge of foreign interference by Beijing while two Canadian citizens were held hostage by China. He found it interesting that Trudeau had not taken a similar approach in that case.
A day earlier, Prime Minister Trudeau accused the Indian government of involvement in the fatal shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He claimed that Canada’s national security officials had reason to believe that “agents of the Indian government” were responsible for Nijjar’s killing.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was wanted in India and was shot outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18.
India rejected Trudeau’s allegations, calling them absurd and motivated, in an official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.
