OTTAWA — B.C. Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal said he met with Prime Minister Mark Carney Wednesday morning to push back against the decision to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta next week.
In an interview with The Canadian Press ahead of that meeting, Dhaliwal said he spoke with hundreds of people who don’t want Modi to attend the upcoming leaders summit — some of them members of the Liberal caucus.
“We as Canadians take pride to be a champion on human rights. We are the country of law and justice,” Dhaliwal said Tuesday. “When it comes to protecting fundamental rights and serving justice for the victim, it is non-negotiable.”
Former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP linked agents of the Indian government to the murder of Canadian Sikh separatist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., nearly two years ago.
Last October, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the police force had evidence linking Indian government officials to other crimes in Canada, including extortion, coercion and homicide.
Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, who led the public inquiry into foreign political interference last year, reported that China and India are among the primary actors behind foreign inference operations targeting Canada.
Dhaliwal said Wednesday that he shared concerns raised by constituents with Carney before the weekly Liberal caucus meeting.
“Now that (Modi’s) invited, we have to move forward,” Dhaliwal said. “(Carney) is alarmed about the issue and he will be very strong in dealing with those issues that are important to Canadians.”
Gurbux Saini, another B.C. Liberal MP, said the decision to invite Modi to the G7 and a reported invitation extended to Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are undermining Canada’s reputation as a champion of human rights.
“It is a damaging thing because we have been known in the world as caring and compassionate people who love human rights, and this is something the prime minister is aware of and it has been brought to his attention,” Saini said Wednesday.
Carney did not respond to reporters’ questions on his way into the caucus meeting Wednesday.
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said some of his constituents have raised concerns with him about “invitations to leaders.”
“But I think it’s important to note that at this time, at a time of crisis, we need to be able to collaborate and of course work out some issues,” Sidhu said before entering the caucus room.
The crisis Sidhu referred to is the tariff war with the U.S.
Dhaliwal, who represents the riding where Nijjar was killed, said Tuesday the invitation betrays Canadian values.
“Before we invited him, Prime Minister Modi should have committed that he and his team or his associates or his departments will fully co-operate with the Canadian authorities,” Dhaliwal said Tuesday.
Carney said he wants to keep policing matters separate from Canada’s responsibilities as G7 chair and has argued that India, one of the world’s largest economies, belongs at the table.
Carney has said India agreed to continue “law enforcement dialogue.”
Modi’s comment on his Friday call with Carney did not mention policing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025.
David Baxter, The Canadian Press
