Ambassador to U.S. calls American response to Canada's allegations against India 'strong'

Power Play: One-on-one with Kirsten Hillman Canadian ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman talks about the response from Canada's allies to the recent dispute with India.

Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman is calling the United States’ response to Canada’s allegations against India “strong,” as other allies have opted not to condemn India publicly.

“I think (the U.S.) response has been strong,” Hillman said in an interview with CTV’s Power Play on Wednesday. “They also expressed deep concern with the information that has come out recently.”

But sources connected to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly’s office tell CTV News that Canadian officials are concerned about how far the U.S. is willing to go with its support for Canada given America’s strategic push to expand bilateral ties with India.

In a rare move on Monday, the RCMP and the federal government accused Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada of engaging in clandestine activities linked to serious criminal activity in this country, including homicides and extortions.

The RCMP also said they had identified more than a dozen credible and imminent threats on the lives of people in Canada who are tied to the pro-Khalistan movement, which supports a separate Sikh state from Indian territory. India has rejected the allegations.

In response, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including India’s High Commissioner, whom Joly called “persons of interest” in the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C. last year. India also expelled six Canadian diplomats in what appeared to be a tit-for-tat retaliation.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called Canada’s allegations “extremely serious” in a press briefing on Tuesday.

“We wanted to see the Government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigation. Obviously, they have not chosen that path,” Miller said.

But when asked about India’s decision to expel six Canadian diplomats, Miller would not answer directly.

“I don’t have any comment on that. But as we’ve said before, they’re serious allegations,” Miller said.

This week, an Indian delegation visited Washington to discuss an alleged murder-for-hire plot that U.S. officials revealed last November. According to an unsealed indictment, an Indian government employee directed an attempted assassination in the U.S., and spoke about others, including Nijjar.

Unlike its response to Canada, India has co-operated with the U.S. investigation. India continues to claim Canada has yet to share evidence, despite the fact that Canadian officials presented information to India this past weekend.

Asked if the U.S. investigation has impacted that country’s relationship with India, Miller said India “continues to be an incredibly strong partner of the United States.”

In her interview with CTV’s Power Play, Hillman acknowledged that India has responded differently to Canada compared to the U.S.

“It hasn't been as successful. You're quite right,” Hillman told host Mike Le Couteur. “But I think what's important to say here is that we're all among our allied countries, trying to work together and support each other.”

Other allies in the Five Eyes, which is an intelligence-sharing alliance, have also called for India to co-operate, but some statements have not referenced India directly.

In a statement to CTV News on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Australia’s department of foreign affairs and trade said, “Australia has made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation in Canada, and our respect for Canada’s judicial process.”

“Our position of principle is that the sovereignty of all countries should be respected and that the rule of law should be respected.”

New Zealand’s Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters also commented on social media platform “X,” and did not name India.

“The alleged criminal conduct outlined publicly by Canadian law enforcement authorities, if proven, would be very concerning,” Peters wrote.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.K.’s foreign commonwealth and development office said “The U.K. has full confidence in Canada’s judicial system. Respect for sovereignty and the rule of law is essential.”

“The Government of India’s co-operation with Canada’s legal process is the right next step.”

With files from CTV’s Question Period senior producer Brennan Macdonald