Days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made shocking allegations of a "potential link" between the Indian government and the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, British Columbia (B.C.) Premier has said that Ottawa is holding back on crucial information on the same, reported CBC.
B.C. Premier David Eby said he "strongly" suspects that the federal government is holding back information that could help the western Canadian province protect its residents with connections to India amid the ongoing developments, CBC stated in its report.
Eby claimed that people in B.C. have been "feeling pressure from India" adding that he believes Ottawa has information through agencies like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. He said that these details could help respond to foreign interference, as claimed by Trudeau.
The B.C. Premier said that Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc reached out, but added that "there has not been good information sharing".
He made the remarks after addressing local politicians at the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference in Vancouver, as per the CBC report.
After Ottawa’s allegations, Canada and India expelled each other's diplomats, after India rejected Trudeau’s accusations as "absurd and motivated."
There Wasn't More Concrete Info: Eby On Briefing With CSIS Director
Speaking on the information that he has about the entire incident, Eby said he was frustrated after a briefing with the CSIS director because there was not more concrete information, as quoted by CBC. He said that everything that he knows about Nijjar’s murder is there "in the public realm".
"I understand there may need to be reform around the act that governs CSIS in order for them to be able to share this information," the premier told media, as quoted by CBC.
"If that's what's required, let's make it happen, because the only way that we're going to make traction on this is by the federal government trusting the provincial government with information and being able to act on it in our local communities, " he reportedly added.
Eby further said that the priority should be protecting the criminal prosecution process so people can be held accountable. He added that on the broader issue of ensuring community safety, there's "a long way to go to share that information."
Notably, India had India designated pro-Khalistan leader Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
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