As the relations between Ottawa and New Delhi hit an all-time low over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that India orchestrated the murder of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada's Defence Minister Bill Blair has termed the relationship with India as "important".
Blair, however, refused to comment on whether Ottawa will reassess the Indo-Pacific strategy in the wake of heightened tensions with India.
The relations between the two countries worsened over the last week after Trudeau's allegations. India angrily rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
Ottawa had been seeking deeper trade, defence and immigration ties with India before the row over Nijjar's killing erupted. Blair said that Canada will continue to pursue those partnerships while the investigation into the allegations raised by Trudeau continues.
In an interview aired Sunday on The West Block, Blair called the relationship with India important. "We understand that this can be, and has proven to be, a challenging issue with respect to our relationship with India. But at the same time, we have a responsibility to defend the law, defend our citizens, and at the same time make sure that we conduct a thorough investigation and get to the truth," Blair was quoted by Global News.
"If the allegations are proven true," Blair said "there is a very significant concern that Canada will have with respect to the violation of our sovereignty in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil."
He added that the Indo-Pacific strategy was a critical one for Canada and has led to an increased military presence in the region and commitments for further patrol capabilities. The strategy commits USD 492.9 million over five years toward those military priorities, out of a total of nearly USD 2.3 billion over the same period.
Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey in British Columbia on June 18.
With the row worsening, India has suspended visa services for Canadians and asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic staff in the country, arguing that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in the mutual diplomatic presence. The size of Canadian diplomatic staff in India is larger than what New Delhi has in Canada.