On Tuesday, the Canadian House of Commons observed a moment of silence to commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Speaker Greg Fergus called on Members of Parliament to participate in this observance, as decided by the House, to honor Nijjar.

On the same day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented that Narendra Modi’s re-election as India’s prime minister for a third term presents an “opportunity” for Canada to engage on various significant issues. In an interview with CBC News, Trudeau remarked, “Now that he’s been re-elected, I believe there’s an opportunity for us to engage, particularly on critical issues related to national security, ensuring the safety of Canadians, and upholding the rule of law.”

These remarks come after a period of strained relations between Canada and India following the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023 in British Columbia, Canada.

Nijjar, 45, had been identified as a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency since 2020 and was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. He was on the Indian government’s list of “designated terrorists,” along with 40 other individuals.

Four Indian nationals – Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, Karanpreet Singh, and Amandeep Singh, 22 – are accused of killing Nijjar.

Relations between India and Canada deteriorated significantly after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year, suggesting the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing.

India has dismissed these accusations as “absurd” and “motivated,” stating that Canada has not provided any “specific” evidence or relevant information regarding the Hardeep Singh Nijjar case.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Trudeau emphasized the need for the two countries to work on “important but sensitive” issues, though he refrained from sharing specific details of what was discussed between the leaders. “I think you can understand I’m not going to get into the details of this issue. There are important but sensitive issues that we need to follow up on. But, this was a commitment to work together in the coming times to deal with some significant issues,” he told reporters on June 16 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy’s Apulia.