Canada's trade gamble with India ignores Sikh safety
The country confronts a moral choice — embracing trade or upholding justice and minority rights
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney (right) have agreed to relive trade negotiations between their respective countries. (Office of the Prime Minister of India/Wikimedia Commons)
Canada’s move to restart trade negotiations with India is being welcomed as a diplomatic triumph.
At the G20 conference in November, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to initiate negotiations on comprehensive economic cooperation, with the goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030. This is a strategic effort by Ottawa to diversify exports and develop ties with one of the world’s “fastest-growing economies,” CBC News reported.
But this diplomatic optimism hides another reality. The RCMP’s “duty-to-warn” alerts caution Sikh Canadians, who continue to face genuine death threats from Indian operatives. The 2023 murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey is seen as a significant breach of confidence between Ottawa and New Delhi, triggering these warnings.
Global News reported intercepted conversations between Canadian and British intelligence agencies that implicated senior Indian officials, including Home Minister Amit Shah, in conversations regarding Nijjar’s killing. This evidence raises serious questions about India’s role in transnational repression.
Meanwhile, Modi’s state visit to Washington, D.C. in June 2023 has created a highly fiery situation. CNN noted that while former U.S. president Joe Biden commended the friendship between India and the United States, human-rights organizations expressed worry that Modi’s government had eroded democratic freedoms and targeted minority communities.
During Modi’s June 2025 visits, including the G7 and subsequent diplomatic engagements, CBC News reported that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) warned Canada to remain “vigilant about continued foreign interference conducted by the Government of India,” which affects Canada’s political system.
Canada is presently at a crossroads. The goal of economic progress cannot be at the expense of justice and security. Ottawa owes Sikh Canadians more than symbolic gestures — it owes them specific commitments. Before any trade agreement is signed, Canada must fulfil three key commitments: transparency in the investigation into Nijjar’s murder and subsequent threats, accountability regardless of political status, and legally enforceable pledges that Sikh Canadians’ safety will never be jeopardized for financial benefit.
Failing to secure these promises would send a devastating message — that minority rights and justice are negotiable when trade is on the table. Such a precedent would not only betray Sikh Canadians but also tarnish Canada’s global reputation as a defender of human rights.
This is more than just an issue of economic strategy — it is a standpoint of morality. Canada’s government claims to separate trade and security issues, but these Sikh Canadians face danger everyday.
How can Ottawa maintain its commitment to sovereignty and human rights, while negotiating major economic accords with a country whose ministers are involved in murder plots on Canadian soil?
Canada’s demands must go beyond trade rhetoric. Before any agreement occurs, Ottawa owes three critical promises to Sikh Canadians.
Failure to do so would convey the terrible message that minority rights and justice are subordinate to international trade.
