October 30, 2024: In a shocking turn of events, two senior officials from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government have confessed to leaking sensitive intelligence regarding India's alleged involvement in violent acts against Sikh separatists in Canada to the Washington Post. This revelation comes just weeks after Canada publicly implicated India in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim that has further strained diplomatic relations between the two nations.
During a parliamentary session on Tuesday, Nathalie Drouin, Trudeau's national security and intelligence adviser, disclosed that a high-ranking official in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration was linked to plots aimed at Sikh separatists residing in Canada. Drouin clarified that she did not seek Trudeau's approval for the leak, insisting that the information shared with the Washington Post did not include classified materials.
“This leak was part of a communications strategy that I developed alongside Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison,” Drouin stated. She emphasized that the goal was to present Canada’s narrative in the escalating diplomatic conflict. The strategy was reportedly overseen by Trudeau’s office and involved providing non-classified information about Canada’s cooperation with India while highlighting evidence of Indian government involvement in illegal activities against Canadian citizens.
Tensions between Canada and India have sharply escalated since October 14, when New Delhi expelled six Canadian diplomats in retaliation for Ottawa’s earlier identification of India's High Commissioner and several diplomats as 'persons of interest' in the Nijjar murder investigation. This announcement came shortly after senior officials from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) made significant allegations against India during a press conference.
Additionally, a report published by the Washington Post on October 13 indicated that India's National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, held a clandestine meeting with his Canadian counterpart in Singapore. During this meeting, Canadian officials purportedly presented evidence that India had purportedly engaged the Bishnoi gang to orchestrate Nijjar's assassination and target Sikh separatists in Canada.