On 16 Jun, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Canada's Kananaskis to attend the G7 Summit. Though India is not a member of the G7, this is the sixth consecutive time Modi is attending the summit. It is also his first visit to Canada in a decade. During Modi’s visit, the governments of Canada and India are set to establish a new structure to share information about cross-border crimes, their latest step toward rebuilding ties nearly two years after Canada accused India of orchestrating the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. The new information-sharing arrangement, which includes law enforcement agencies from both countries, will allow them to swap intelligence on transnational crime and syndicates, terrorism and extremist activities, according to officials who asked not to be identified because the discussions are still private. For Canada, this also includes an emphasis on investigating extra-judicial killings. Upon Modi's arrival, Sikhs in Alberta staged an 'ambush' protest, shouting slogans. Anti-Modi rallies also took place in Calgary. Meanwhile, in late 2023, a suspected Indian govt agent had former New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh under close surveillance. This had prompted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to place the leader in police protection. This protection has now been withdrawn. Jagmeet’s brother Gurratan Singh said, ‘It’s unacceptable…security must be provided to those who are facing ‘duty to warn’ threats from foreign governments.’ The 'duty to warn' notification, a practice used by Canadian police to alert someone when it believes there to be a credible threat endangering them, has emerged due to Modi's visit. Political observers are seeing NDP’s loss in the recent Canadian election from 24 to 8 seats as a partial indication of waning Sikh influence in Canadian politics. In other news, under Project Pelican, Peel police have seized 479 kilograms of cocaine valued at USD 47.9M. Police have arrested nine individuals, including several of Panjabi origin. The drugs were smuggled from Mexico through US commercial trucking routes into Ontario, taking advantage of cross-border logistics (earlier coverage).
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