00:00 Canada's relationship with India has plunged into turmoil following Canadian Prime Minister
00:06 Justin Trudeau's explosive statement accusing an Indian government agency of killing Khalistani
00:11 terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June of this year.
00:14 Trudeau's remarks have resonated with the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance, a coalition
00:19 that includes Canada, the US, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, all of which engage
00:25 in extensive intelligence sharing through a unified multilateral agreement.
00:30 So what has the Five Eyes Alliance said in response?
00:34 The Five Eyes Alliance has responded variably to Trudeau's allegations.
00:38 A senior US State Department official stated that they have maintained close communication
00:43 with their Canadian counterparts regarding the allegations of Indian government involvement
00:48 in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.
00:51 They have urged India to cooperate with the investigation.
00:55 How have the experts and government officials reacted?
00:58 We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau earlier
01:02 today.
01:03 White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement, adding,
01:08 "We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners.
01:12 It is critical that Canada's investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to
01:16 justice."
01:17 In contrast, a US expert criticised the Canadian Prime Minister's assertion of a potential
01:21 link between Indian government agents and the Khalistani leader's killing as a "shameless
01:26 and cynical action".
01:28 This expert called on the United States not to endorse it.
01:32 The UK also termed the allegations as "serious" as British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley
01:36 said that his government backs the Canadian investigation to determine whether India was
01:41 involved in the killing of the Sikh leader.
01:43 However, the UK government, addressing the serious allegations concerning the murder,
01:47 declared that it would not allow these allegations to impact its ongoing trade negotiations with
01:52 India.
01:53 Meanwhile, Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong commented on the killing of Hardeep
01:57 Singh Nijjar in Canada, expressing concern and noting that investigations are ongoing.
02:03 Australia is closely monitoring developments in coordination with its partners.
02:07 These are concerning reports and I note that investigations are still underway.
02:16 But obviously these are concerning reports and as I've said, we are monitoring these
02:22 developments closely with our partners and will continue to do so.
02:27 On the alliance, Australian PM Anthony Albanese said, "I don't talk about Five Eyes intelligence
02:32 at a press conference.
02:33 We don't speculate on what intelligence is."
02:36 I don't talk about Five Eyes intelligence at a press conference, funnily enough.
02:41 That's why it's called intelligence.
02:43 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called on India, in the strongest possible terms, to
02:47 cooperate with Canada in uncovering the truth behind this matter.
02:51 In response to Trudeau's allegations, both Canada and India have expelled a senior diplomat
02:55 from each other's nations.
02:57 Trudeau implicated agents of the Indian government in the killing of the prominent Sikh separatist
03:01 leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, aged 45, in Surrey in June.
03:05 As I've said, India, the government of India, needs to take this matter with the utmost
03:11 seriousness.
03:12 We are doing that.
03:13 We are not looking to provoke or escalate.
03:19 We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them and we want to work with the government
03:26 of India to lay everything clear and to ensure that there is proper process.
03:33 One of the things that is so important today is that India and the government of India
03:38 take seriously this matter.
03:41 It is extremely serious and it has far-reaching consequences in international law and otherwise.
03:48 For Canada, as I said yesterday, we're going to remain calm.
03:52 We're going to remain grounded in our democratic principles and values.
03:57 We're going to follow the evidence and make sure that the work is done to hold people
04:01 accountable for the challenges that they face.
04:05 Over the course of the summer, we have been working closely with our intelligence agencies
04:10 who are moving forward in their analysis.
04:13 We wanted to make sure that we had solid grounding in understanding what was going on in analysis
04:20 and indeed in facts.
04:21 We wanted to make sure we were taking the time to talk with our allies, to share what
04:25 we knew.
04:26 We wanted to make sure that we fully shared with the government of India the seriousness
04:31 and the depths of our preoccupations and indeed conclusions.
04:36 But Canadians have a right to know and need to know when things are going on like this
04:42 and that's why we made the decision to do this.
04:45 Nijjar, the leader of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, was one of India's most wanted
04:49 terrorists, carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.
04:52 He was fatally shot by two unidentified asylums outside a gurdwara in Surrey, located in the
04:57 Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18.
05:01 Canada is home to a substantial population of nearly 1.4 million individuals of Indian
05:05 ethnic or cultural origin, constituting about 3.7% of the country's total population as
05:10 per the 2021 census.
05:12 Over 770,000 people in Canada identify their religion as Sikhism, representing approximately
05:17 2% of the nation's population.
05:20 In 2019, the Canadian government designated April as Sikh Heritage Month.
05:25 In terms of trade, India ranked as Canada's 10th largest two-way merchandise trade partner
05:29 in 2022, with trade exceeding US$13.7 billion.
05:34 However, Trudeau's interactions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Group
05:38 of 20 meeting in New Delhi were marked by tension.
05:41 Trade negotiations have been halted and a planned trade mission to India has been cancelled.
05:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:48 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:52 (dramatic music)
Comments