Canadian officials admit to leaking intel on India’s alleged role in Sikh activist murder to US media

Two senior officials of the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-led government have acknowledged that they leaked sensitive information to the Washington Post regarding India’s alleged targeting of Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. The information published by the newspaper earlier this month implicated Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah as directing an assassination campaign from New Delhi. India has dismissed the accusations as baseless, denying any involvement. 

Testifying before a parliamentary panel on Tuesday, Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser, Nathalie Drouin, and Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison confirmed the leak. “The journalist called me and asked me if it was that person,” Morrison said. “I confirmed it was that person.”

This comes amid a diplomatic row between the two countries that was triggered by Trudeau last year, when he claimed his government had credible evidence that Indian government agents were involved in the June 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb.  

Earlier this month, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police alleged that Indian diplomats were linked to the murder and accused New Delhi of “widespread violence,” including homicide, and posed a “serious threat to public safety.” The Washington Post published the leaked details a day before the Canadian police went public with the allegations. In response, India recalled six of its diplomats posted in Canada – while Ottawa claimed to have expelled them. New Delhi expelled six Canadian diplomats.

On Tuesday, Drouin said the decision to leak the information was part of a strategy she and Morrison devised to ensure a major US outlet reported on Canada’s stance in its foreign-interference dispute with India. The strategy, she added, was seen by the Prime Minister’s Office. 

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“We provided non-classified information on our actions and the evidence linking the Indian government to illegal activities targeting Canadians, including life-threatening threats,” Drouin stated, adding that similar briefings were shared with Canadian opposition leaders.

Drouin stated that she did not need Trudeau’s authorization to leak the information. She also clarified that no classified intelligence was shared with the newspaper. 

Drouin’s admission was met with criticism from the opposition. Conservative MP Raquel Dancho said she was disturbed that information Trudeau did not reveal to the Canadian people was leaked to a US newspaper. “Canadians wouldn’t know unless they were able to read The Washington Post. I find it unfair that details were released to them but not provided to Canadians,” Dancho said. 

Last week, the Globe and Mail reported that the leaked information not only pointed to Shah but also connected India to the killing of Sikh activist Sukhdool Singh Gill. He was shot in Winnipeg on September 20, 2023 – two days after Trudeau’s statement in the House of Commons alleging India’s involvement in the murder of Nijjar. While no charges have been filed in Gill’s case, Police Commissioner Mike Duheme claimed on October 14 that evidence implicates India in several killings, although only Nijjar’s name was specified. He added that he did not release the information publicly, as it could interfere with ongoing investigations.