OTTAWA — A senior Public Safety official says the federal government has told its Indian counterparts that there is “zero tolerance” for transnational repression and foreign interference by its diplomats.
In a recent letter to advocacy group Sikhs for Justice (SJF), a top Public Safety official assured the group that the government has “made it clear to senior Indian officials that there is zero tolerance for transnational repression or other illegal activities by foreign diplomats in this country.”
The letter was signed by Public Safety Canada assistant deputy minister Richard Bilodeau. It came in a response to a June missive by SFJ warning of continued efforts by Indian government officials to threaten Sikh Canadians and activist for a Khalistan referendum.
Bilodeau’s letter does not specify when, nor how many times, the Canadian government has issued that message to the Indian government. Bilodeau did not respond to a request for comment.
In the letter, Bilodeau wrote that Canada has “constructive engagement” with India and will continue to push for the respect of rule of law, judicial independence and “the principle of non-interference.”
“The Government continues to strengthen its response to these threats by implementing targeted mitigation measures, as well as appropriate policy and legislative tools,” he added.
But Bilodeau’s assurances fell flat for SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun, who is a key figure in the movement to establish a separate Khalistan within the Indian state of Punjab. In a statement to National Post, Pannun said he remains very worried about Prime Minister Mark Carney’s efforts to renew diplomatic and trade relations with India.
“Sikhs for Justice does not believe Canada has a true ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy when it comes to India’s Modi regime,” he wrote.
“Even today, Canadian police continue to issue ‘duty to warn’ letters to Sikh activists,” he added in reference to warnings from police to individuals whose lives they believe are in imminent danger. “If Canada had zero tolerance, then Indian operatives would be neutralized, and activists would not need to look over their shoulders in their own country.”
Pannun was a close friend of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Canadian-Sikh pro-Khalistan activist who was assassinated in front of his B.C. gurdwara in 2023. U.S. and Canadian police have since alleged that the assassination was linked to at least one Indian government official.
Pannun himself was the target of at least one assassination plot linked to the same network of alleged gangsters and Indian intelligence official, according to unsealed U.S. court records.
Bilodeau’s letter to SJF also comes on the heels of a letter from five United Nations special rapporteurs expressing concern that there is a “broader pattern of transnational repression by Indian authorities against Sikh activists in different countries, including Canada.”
The five rapporteurs noted that one Canadian pro-Khalistan activist, Moninder Singh, has received four “duty to warn” notifications in recent years and continues to live in fear for his life.
They called on the Carney government to do better to protect Singh and other Khalistan activists in Canada.
“We are… concerned at the allegations that the Canadian authorities have taken no known further protective and monitoring measures to ensure their safety since the issuance of the latest notice in February 2026,” reads the June 3 report.
Since his election in 2025, Carney has moved quickly to thaw diplomatic relations with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in order to boost ties and trade with the economic behemoth. Carney has has largely downplayed concerns about India’s involvement in foreign interference and transnational repression efforts in Canada.
In the days leading up to Carney’s first trip to India in March, a senior government official said Canada no longer believes India is behind such efforts in Canada. His claim was contradicted by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) , which has repeatedly stated since then than India remains one of the biggest perpetrators of foreign interference against Canada.
The Carney government has largely avoided criticizing India’s government publicly, but has argued that it raises public safety concerns privately and has received commitments from the Indian government that such activities would cease.
India has never acknowledged any wrongdoing and steadfastly denied any implication in foreign interference or transnational repression against Canadians or in Canada.
National Post
cnardi@postmedia.com
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