Actions of few do not represent entire community or Canada, says Trudeau on pro-Khalistan elements

New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, while speaking on the issue of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada, said his country will always prevent violence and will push back against hatred.

Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Delhi, Trudeau said over the years, he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had many conversations on Khalistan extremism and “foreign interference”.

“Canada will always defend freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, and freedom of peaceful protest and it is extremely important to us.. at the same time we are always there to prevent violence and to push back against hatred,” he said.

I think on the issue of the community, it is important to remember that the actions of the few do not represent the entire community or Canada, the prime minister said. “We also highlighted the importance of respecting the rule of law and we did talk about foreign interference,” he added.

The presence of pro-Khalistan separatist groups in Canada has been a cause of concern for India. The comments by the Canadian prime minister came barely a few days after the desecration of a temple in British Colombia, Canada’s westernmost province, with pro-Khalistan and anti-India anti-India graffiti.

Speaking about India-Canada relations and his equation with PM Modi, Trudeau said, “We recognise that India is an extraordinarily important economy in the world and an important partner to Canada on everything from fighting climate change to creating growth and prosperity for the citizens. There is always a lot of work to do and we will continue to do it.”

Meanwhile, Modi met his Canadian counterpart and discussed “full range of India-Canada ties” across different sectors.

“Met PM @JustinTrudeau on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. We discussed the full range of India-Canada ties across different sectors,” Modi said in a tweet on X.

Modi has held several bilateral meetings over the last three days as world leaders gathered for the G20 Summit that concluded on Sunday.