Transparency and Accountability on Indian Transnational Repression
Dear [Member of Parliament],
I am writing to express serious concern regarding reports that the Attorney General of Canada has applied to the Federal Court under the Canada Evidence Act to prohibit disclosure of relevant information in the prosecution of four Indian nationals charged in the assassination of Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Department of Justice has stated that disclosure “would be injurious to international relations and national security.” While legitimate confidentiality must be respected where necessary, these same justifications have previously been invoked to remove references to India’s clandestine activities from public reports like the 2019 NSICOP annual report. This history raises concern that information relevant to Indian state-linked activities may once again be withheld from public scrutiny at a time when the government continues to court India for trade deals. .
The targeted killing of Bhai Hardeep Singh on Canadian soil was not an isolated incident. It followed years of warnings, documented concerns regarding Indian intelligence networks operating in Canada, and credible threat notifications issued to Sikh activists prior to the assassination. Public reporting indicates that Canadian agencies were aware as early as 2016–2018 of increasingly aggressive Indian foreign interference activities. Yet meaningful disruption appears not to have occurred, and references to this failure to act and India’s activities were redacted from the 2019 NSICOP annual report.
The Government has a fundamental responsibility to protect Canadians and uphold public confidence in the rule of law. Ongoing secrecy risks compounding harm to communities already facing intimidation, extortion, and violence linked to transnational repression. If the government chooses to withhold important information about the assassination, it will be repeating the mistakes of successive Canadian governments by choosing to protect Indian officials rather than the Canadian communities that are being targeted.
Accordingly, I urge you to take the following three steps:
- Publicly commit to ensuring transparency about Indian transnational repression by calling on the Government to ensure maximum disclosure of any information related to Indian foreign interference and transnational repression in Canada. If intelligence from Five Eyes partners must be withheld to protect sources or methods, then public summaries of the information should be provided.
- Call on the Government of Canada to continue the October 2024 Parliamentary study on “electoral interference and criminal activities in Canada by agents of the Government of India” and ensure a final report is presented to the House of Commons..
- Call on the Government of Canada to commit to establishing an independent public inquiry at the earliest possible time to review the circumstances leading to Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination and any other coercive or violent activity linked to the agents of the Government of India. The Government can commit to establishing this inquiry in the near future without jeopardizing ongoing criminal investigations or prosecutions.
This is a defining moment for Canada’s commitment to democratic accountability and equal protection under the law. Transparency, oversight, and an independent review process are not partisan demands; they are foundational requirements of any democracy.
I respectfully request your public commitment to these measures and look forward to your timely response.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
