White House denies ‘wedge’ between Canada, US over Sikh leader’s killing

The White House said Thursday that it “firmly rejects” media reports that there is any “wedge” in its relations with Canada over the recent killing of a Sikh leader, whose death has resulted in a diplomatic row between India and Canada.

“I firmly reject the idea that there is a wedge between the U.S. and Canada,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during a White House press briefing in response to media reports suggesting a rift over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.

“We have deep concerns about the allegations and we would like to see this investigation carried forward and the perpetrators held to account. That is what the United States has stood for from the moment this emerged in public and we will continue to stand for that until this fully plays its way out,” he said.

According to Sullivan, as soon as the U.S. heard publicly about the allegations from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “we went out publicly ourselves and expressed our deep concern about them, our support for a law enforcement process to get to the bottom of exactly what happened and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.”

He added that the U.S. is in constant contact with its Canadian counterparts.

“We support the efforts that they are undertaking in this investigation and we have also been in touch with the Indian government as well,” Sullivan said.

“It is a matter of concern for us. It is something we take seriously. It is something we will keep working on, and we will do that regardless of the country,” he told reporters.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that several senior officials of Canada’s Five Eyes allies, of which the U.S. is a member, were informed of the allegations but no public comment was made ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi.

Both India and Canada have expelled top diplomats from their respective countries, with the South Asian country dismissing the accusations as absurd.

A statement from its Ministry of External Affairs said the expulsion came amid “growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.”

India on Thursday suspended all visa services for Canadians and ordered a reduction of diplomatic staffing.

Sullivan’s comments came hours after Trudeau reiterated his allegations that agents of the Indian government were behind Nijjar’s killing.

“There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with … and we’re not looking to provoke or cause problems,” Trudeau said in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

“But we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about the importance of protecting Canadians,” he added.

Nijjar was a prominent leader of a movement that wants to establish a Sikh homeland called Khalistan in India’s Punjab region and was considered a terrorist by the Indian government. The Sikh separatist movement is illegal in India.