'Mr. Nijjar Is Not One Of These...': Canada MP Calls Out Ottawa On Moment Of Silence In Parliament

A Canadian MP from the Liberal party has called out his colleagues’ decision to stand in the House of Commons last week for a moment’s silence to mark the anniversary of the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In an interview on Monday, Hindu-Canadian MP Chandra Arya slammed his own government’s decision, citing the findings in a Globe and Mail report that Canadian authorities had concerns about Nijjar’s ties to extremism. Arya said when Parliament decides to hold a moment of silence, it is “very exclusive and limited to a few great Canadians who have immensely served Canadians for most of their life.

“Mr. Nijjar is not one of these people. … That the ‘credible allegations’ that he was killed by a foreign government was considered to be good enough to elevate him to be one of the most respected Canadians is wrong,” he added. Arya has in the past advocated for Canada to strengthen ties with the Indian government and has been an outspoken critic of Khalistan separatist groups. He said the Canadian newspaper’s probe showed Nijjar entered Canada on a fake passport and how the authorities had picked him up for questioning on three occasions.

Last week, India strongly objected to the Canadian parliament observing “one-minute silence” in memory of Khalistan extremist Nijjar, who was gunned down in British Columbia in June last year. India also insisted that the Canadian authorities must take action against those advocating violence and carrying out an anti-India campaign in Canada.

“We naturally oppose any moves giving political space to extremism and advocacy of violence,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing on Friday. In an unusual move, the Canadian parliament observed “one-minute silence” to mark one year of the killing of the Sikh extremist. Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia on June 18 last year.

India lodges protest

India also lodged a strong protest with Canada last week over Khalistani extremists holding a so-called “citizens court” and burning an effigy of the Indian prime minister outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver. Jaiswal said India strongly protested with the Canadian high commission on the matter. “We have strongly taken it up with them and told them to take action as appropriate in the matter,” he said.

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing. New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd”. “Khalistani activities are a matter of concern for India. We have been repeatedly calling upon the government of Canada to take action,” Jaiswal said.

India has been insisting that Canada must stop providing political space to anti-India elements, he said. The real problem is the political space being given by Canada to extremists and people who advocate violence and anti-India agenda, he added. “We have time and again been insisting that the Canadian authorities take action against them,” he said.