Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said Canada stands by the rule of law as the India-Canada diplomatic row reached a historic frost with India slamming Canada as a safe haven for terrorists and suspending visa services for all Canadians.
The diplomatic crisis started after Canadian PM Trudeau on Monday alleged that India had a role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the claim and several diplomatic steps were taken by both India and Canada. New Delhi on Thursday reiterated that though the Canadian PM went on to make allegations against India publicly, the Canadian side never shared any specific input with India regarding its allegations
“As a country of the rule of law, we have an obligation to ensure that those processes unfold in a rigorous and independent manner and that is what we are ensuring. At the same time, we are ensuring that Canadians stay protected and that we stand up for international rules-based order. That is something we are doing and is something we are doing alongside our allies,” Trudeau said.
“We are standing for the rules-based order. We are standing for the rule of law. We are highlighting how unacceptable it would be for any country to be involved in the killing of a citizen on their own home soil,” Trudeau said.
“India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with not just in a region but around the world and we are not looking to provoke or cause problems but we are unequivocal about the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about of the importance of protecting Canadians and standing up for values. That’s why we call upon the govt of India to work with us to establish processes to uncover the truth of the matter and to allow justice and accountability to be served,” Trudeau said.
“I had a direct and frank conversation, with the Prime Minister (Modi), in which I shared my concerns in no uncertain terms…” Trudeau said. On a question whether there will be a tit-for-tat move from Canada, Trudeau said, “We call upon the government of India to take seriously this matter and to work with us to shed full transparency and ensure accountability and justice in this matter. We are a country of the rule of law. We are going to continue to do the work necessary to keep Canadians safe and to uphold our values and the international rules-based order. That’s our focus right now.”