Politics

Members of a parliamentary committee have called for an emergency meeting on new allegations of Indian foreign interference in Canada as diplomatic tensions between the two countries have escalated this week. The standing committee on public safety and national security is set to meet Friday morning to discuss the recent developments that saw Canada expel six Indian diplomats and consular officials “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India.”The House of Commons is on break this week, but MPs on that committee will convene Friday to consider the request for a study on the RCMP allegations and their aftermath.The political dispute has members of the Indian diaspora in Canada on edge, with many families and students expressing co...

When Canadian officials announced this week it had expelled six Indian diplomats for alleged links to criminal activity targeting Canadian citizens, they said the action was taken after India refused to waive diplomatic immunity. That immunity shields foreign diplomats from criminal proceedings, including questioning by police in an investigation.Global News reported that agents working out of India’s high commission in Ottawa and consulates in Vancouver and Toronto were allegedly behind dozens of violent crimes across Canada that targeted opponents of the Narendra Modi government.Canada expelled the six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, after the RCMP and government officials made their investigative findings public Monday.India swiftly retaliated by ordering six Canadian...

As tensions escalate between India and Canada, some in the Indian diaspora say they’re concerned about how the situation might affect travel between the two countries. The federal government expelled six Indian diplomats on Monday after the RCMP said it had credible evidence that Indian agents played a role in violent crimes on Canadian soil, including extortion, coercion and murder of Canadian citizens.India insists it has not been given evidence of any government involvement in crimes in Canada, and it has ordered six Canadian diplomats to leave.Fazle Baki, president of the South Asian Centre of Windsor in southwestern Ontario, says many community members he’s spoken to – particularly families and students – have expressed concern about their ability to travel between India and Canada if...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size India had at least 26 extradition requests pending with Canada, the South Asian nation’s foreign ministry said on Thursday, amid a diplomatic row between the two countries. “These are over the last decade or more,” India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters during a weekly media briefing.Bilateral relations between the two nations have plunged to a new low this week after Ottawa linked India to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.In tit-for-tat moves, both countries expelled each others’ diplomats on Monday. Ottawa said it was expelling six Indian diplomats and consular officials “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents ...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Canadian parents are set to receive the latest child benefits from the federal government on Friday. October payments of the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) will go to eligible families who have children under the age of 18 years residing in Canada.The CCB amounts were increased in July after a routine annual recalculation based on a family’s net income from the previous year and inflation.Recipients don’t have to pay any tax on these monthly payments.The CCB payments are calculated based on the adjusted family net income, as reported in the previous year’s tax return, the number of children and their ages, according to the Canada Revenue Agency. Story continues below advertisement ...

Amid recent reports of a Liberal caucus revolt aimed at getting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down, a longtime Liberal MP says he’s hearing similar sentiments from his constituents — a feeling he agrees with. “I confirm that I am increasingly hearing from constituents that I represent that it is time for Trudeau to go, and that I agree with them,” Liberal MP Sean Casey said in an email to Global News.Casey, who has served as MP for Charlottetown since 2011, was confirming comments first made to CBC News on Tuesday.His concerns come just days after International Trade Minister Mary Ng publicly addressed reports of a growing internal revolt among some in the Liberal caucus, and expressed her confidence in Trudeau.Some members of the Liberal caucus have been approaching colleagues to ...

Descrease article font size Increase article font size Amid the ongoing diplomatic dispute between Canada and India, the U.K. is calling on New Delhi to co-operate with Ottawa’s legal process, voicing full confidence in the country’s judicial system. On Wednesday, the British Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office issued a statement saying India’s co-operation with Canada would be the “next right step.”“We are in contact with our Canadian partners about the serious developments outlined in the independent investigations in Canada. The UK has full confidence in Canada’s judicial system. Respect for sovereignty and the rule of law is essential,” the statement read.“The Government of India’s cooperation with Canada’s legal process is the rig...

By Jim Bronskill The Canadian Press Posted October 16, 2024 7:51 am Updated October 16, 2024 8:27 am 1 min read Descrease article font size Increase article font size Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is slated to testify Wednesday as a federal inquiry into foreign interference finishes the latest phase of its work. The commission of inquiry is looking at the ability of institutions to detect and fend off the attempts of hostile states to meddle in Canadian affairs.Over the last several weeks it has heard from seni...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office intervened in 2019 to keep Han Dong off a House of Commons committee probing Canada’s relations with China, according to testimony from Trudeau’s most senior staff. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) briefed security-cleared Liberal officials during the 2019 election about “irregularities” related to Dong’s nomination as the party’s candidate in Don Valley North.Those irregularities included CSIS intelligence suggesting Chinese diplomatic officials leaned on international students to support Dong’s nomination, as well as the busing of people to the nomination meeting coerced into supporting the now-independent MP.Documents previously published by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue’s foreign interference inquiry suggest that CSIS was aware of tho...

A diplomatic row between Canada and India is back in the spotlight amid mounting foreign interference concerns and continued investigations of the 2023 killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. In tit-for-tat moves, both countries expelled each others’ diplomats on Monday. Ottawa said it was expelling six Indian diplomats and consular officials “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the government of India.”The government acted “to disrupt the chain of operations that go from Indian diplomats here in Canada to criminal organizations, to direct violent impacts on Canadians right across this country,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.Global News has learned agents working out of India’s high commission in Ottawa and consulates in Va...