OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday that India made a “terrible mistake” in thinking it could interfere with Canada’s sovereignty as aggressively as it allegedly did.
Trudeau made the remark two days after Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada and alleging broader efforts to target Indian dissidents in the country.
The Canadian leader’s comments were the harshest he has made in the year-long dispute that has plunged bilateral relations to a new low.
“The government of India made a terrible mistake in thinking it could interfere as aggressively as it did with Canada’s security and sovereignty,” he told an independent inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian politics.
In response, India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a terse, two-line statement saying that Trudeau’s testimony supported New Delhi’s position that Canada had not provided any evidence to support its allegations against Indian diplomats.
“Responsibility for the damage this cavalier behavior has caused to India-Canada relations rests solely with Prime Minister Trudeau,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Trudeau said Ottawa could take further steps to keep Canadians safe, but declined to provide details.
India denies allegations of interference and has expelled six Canadian diplomats in a tit-for-tat move.
