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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 219

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
September 18, 2023 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 219 - Sep/18/23
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • Sep/18/23 3:24:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today I am rising to inform the House of an extremely serious matter. I just informed the leaders of the opposition directly, but I want now to speak with all Canadians. Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada is a rule-of-law country. The protection of our citizens and the defence of our sovereignty are fundamental. Our top priorities have therefore been, one, that our law enforcement and security agencies ensure the continued safety of all Canadians, and two, that all steps be taken to hold perpetrators of this murder to account. Canada has declared its deep concerns to the top intelligence and security officials of the Indian government. Last week, at the G20, I brought them personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in no uncertain terms. Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental roles by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves. As one would expect, we have been working closely and coordinating with our most important allies on this very serious matter. In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the Government of India to co-operate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter. I also expect it to reiterate that its position on extrajudicial operations in another country is clearly and unequivocally in line with international law. I know that many Canadians, particularly members of the Indo-Canadian community, are feeling angry or perhaps frightened right now. Let us not allow this to change us. Let us remain calm and steadfast in our commitment to our democratic principles and our adherence to the rule of law. This is who we are and what we do as Canadians.
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Context: House Hansard - 219 - Sep/18/23
Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)
  • Sep/18/23 3:32:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we have just learned what happened. We are stunned and shocked. This is unacceptable; I am sure we all agree. First and foremost, I would like to offer my condolences to all the family and friends who are suffering through this unacceptable ordeal. Foreign countries must respect our borders. Our law enforcement agencies are responsible for intervening on our territory, in compliance with our laws. We are a country governed by the rule of law. Everyone must respect that, at all times, without exception. Parliament must make that message clear to the perpetrators, to those to whom we are addressing our remarks today. We must remain calm. We must watch carefully and see how the case develops. In the meantime, the Bloc Québécois is offering the Prime Minister its full co-operation, because this situation is unacceptable.
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