Amid growing diplomatic tensions with India, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has strongly criticized his own intelligence officials, calling them “criminals” for allegedly leaking false information connecting Indian leaders to violent activities in Canada. The controversy erupted after a report by The Globe and Mail suggested that Canadian security agencies believed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar were involved in criminal activities on Canadian soil.
Addressing the media in Brampton on Friday, Trudeau condemned the leaks, saying, “We have seen, unfortunately, that criminals leaking top-secret information to the media have consistently gotten those stories wrong.” He went on to emphasize that these leaks were not only unreliable but criminal, adding, “That’s why we had a national enquiry into foreign interference, which has highlighted that criminals leaking information to media outlets are unreliable on top of being criminals.”
Trudeau’s comments came after the Canadian government issued a statement refuting the claims made in the Globe and Mail report. The Canadian government clarified that it had no evidence linking PM Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or National Security Adviser Ajit Doval to any criminal activity in Canada. In a statement posted on a government website, Nathalie Drouin, Trudeau’s intelligence adviser, said, “The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of the evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate.”
Also read: BJP’s strategic decisions brings success in Maharashtra assembly elections
This development follows a report published earlier this week by the Globe and Mail, which claimed that Canadian security agencies had evidence linking high-ranking Indian officials to violence on Canadian soil. The report alleged that PM Modi was aware of violent plots, and that Jaishankar and NSA Doval were also involved.
The tensions between Canada and India have been escalating for months. In September 2023, Trudeau made headlines when he accused Indian agents of potentially being involved in the murder of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who held a Canadian passport. The accusation was promptly rejected by New Delhi, which described it as “absurd.” India has consistently maintained that Canada’s stance on pro-Khalistan elements operating within its borders remains the core issue between the two nations.
The diplomatic crisis has deepened to the point where both Canada and India have expelled each other’s top diplomats, further deteriorating the already fragile relationship.
