OTTAWA, Canada (Diya TV) — A number of Sikh advocacy organizations across Canada are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to rescind his invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit set for next week in Alberta, citing serious concerns over foreign interference and threats to the safety of Sikh Canadians.
At a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday, leaders from the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) and Sikh Federation Canada demanded a public inquiry into what they describe as India’s transnational repression and interference in Canadian affairs. They warned that unless India fully cooperates with ongoing investigations and halts its targeting of Sikh Canadians, Modi should not be welcomed at the international summit.
“This is a Canadian issue, but it doesn’t feel like it’s being treated that way,” said Balpreet Singh, spokesperson for the WSO. “It’s being seen as just a Sikh issue—as though if a foreign government is threatening or surveilling us, it’s somehow acceptable.”
The G7 leaders are scheduled to meet June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta. Modi’s invitation has drawn sharp backlash, particularly in the wake of last year’s murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar—a Canadian Sikh activist and vocal proponent of Khalistan, a proposed Sikh homeland—outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP linked Indian agents to Nijjar’s assassination in September 2023, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Canada and India. India had deemed Nijjar a terrorist.
According to a 2023 report by a Canadian public inquiry into foreign political interference, both China and India were cited as key actors engaged in covert operations against Canada’s democratic institutions and diaspora communities.
The Sikh groups are also urging the Canadian government to immediately halt intelligence-sharing with India. “We cannot continue business as usual with a country credibly accused of orchestrating assassinations and surveillance on our soil,” said Moninder Singh of Sikh Federation Canada.
Concerns escalated further following a recent Global News report revealing that former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh had been under close surveillance by a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang—an organization the RCMP accuses of carrying out violence in Canada on behalf of Indian interests. Singh confirmed in April that the RCMP had issued a “duty to warn” him of a credible assassination threat in December 2023.
“It’s not just shocking—it’s terrifying,” said Singh’s brother, Gurratan Singh, in an interview with The Canadian Press. “Jagmeet’s daughter was born under heavy security. And now that he’s a private citizen, that protection may not be there.”
Moninder Singh also disclosed he has received multiple warnings from the RCMP over the years. “Each time, the words used were ‘imminent assassination threat,’” he said, noting that he once had to leave his home for five months for his safety.
Heather McPherson, an NDP Member of Parliament, warned that intimidation of elected officials has serious implications for Canadian democracy. “If MPs are too afraid to speak out because of foreign threats, that’s the very definition of foreign interference,” she said.
Internally, the controversy appears to be causing discomfort within the governing Liberal Party. B.C. MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who attended a meeting with Carney and Sikh Liberal caucus members this week, called the invitation to Modi a “bad idea” and noted that Carney appeared “alarmed” by the concerns raised.
However, Sikh leaders remain skeptical. “We’ve heard this all before,” said Balpreet Singh. “Without concrete steps—like cancelling the invitation and ending intelligence-sharing—there’s nothing to assure us that the government is serious.”
In response to Modi’s planned visit, Sikh organizations are mobilizing nationwide protests. A large anti-Modi rally is set for Saturday on Parliament Hill, with additional events in Surrey, Calgary, and Banff planned throughout the week, including a memorial for Nijjar on June 18—the second anniversary of his death.
