‘More work to do’ to ensure agents of India are not threatening Canadians: minister

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Thursday there’s “a lot more work to do” to ensure agents of the Indian government are not coercing or intimidating people in Canada.

Anandasangaree stopped short of agreeing with a federal official who said Ottawa is confident people acting on behalf of India are not currently engaging in extortion or threats of violence in Canada.

Asked during a briefing with reporters Wednesday on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to India whether agents of that country are currently involved in extortion or violent threats, the official said Ottawa has a very robust diplomatic engagement with India.

“And I think we can say we’re confident that that activity is not continuing, or we would not be having this type of discussion,” said the official, who was speaking on background.

In response to a followup question, the official said: “If we believed that the government of India was actively interfering in the Canadian democratic process, we probably would not be taking this trip, right?”

Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, who represents the riding where Nijjar was murdered, said on social media Thursday he firmly denounces the federal official’s remarks to reporters.

He said they contradict assessments from the national security and intelligence adviser, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP.

“This matter must be addressed, and the individual’s conduct and suitability for their role must be reviewed,” Dhaliwal said.

Sikh activist Moninder Singh, who received a warning from Vancouver police on Sunday about a credible threat to his life, said he suspects the Indian government is behind the threat.

On Thursday, Singh told a news conference at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., that each time he’s received a warning, it’s been because of peaking political activity in the Sikh community.

“Basically, India manufactures violence. They export it to Canada, and they make it look like this is a domestic problem within Canada when it’s all exported violence that’s coming here.” he said.

The Indian government is “trying to silence our entire community,” Singh said.

Singh said earlier he believes he’s been targeted by the Indian government due to his work on a campaign calling for the creation of a separate Sikh homeland out of Indian territory.

He worked with Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh independence advocate and president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, who was shot dead in June 2023 while leaving the Surrey, B.C., temple’s parking lot.

In May 2024, four Indian nationals were charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in relation to Nijjar’s death. The case is now before the B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.

Singh said Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has repeatedly reassured the Sikh community that “law enforcement dialogue” is occurring between Canada and India.

“Has the violence stopped? Have the streets of Canada become safer?”

Instead, Singh said the violence and extortions in Surrey have increased. Surrey police say they are investigating 56 reports of extortion this year alone, 11 of which are related to shots being fired at homes or businesses. Most of the extortions involve South Asian businesspeople, police have said.

Anandasangaree indicated Thursday that Canada is engaging with India on two tracks — one aimed at economic development and the other related to security issues.

He said that would mean “at times difficult conversations around safety and security of Canadians and, of course, there are still outstanding issues that we’re going to work through.”

Anandasangaree also stressed the role of the legal system and courts in resolving issues of a criminal nature.

Asked whether he agreed with the federal official’s assessment at the media briefing, Anandasangaree said: “What I’m suggesting is that there’s still a lot more work to do, and we will do that work.”

— With files from David Baxter and Dylan Robertson in Ottawa and Nono Shen in Surrey, B.C.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.

Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press