EDITORIAL – Canadians should stand together, not divided on India issue

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

THERE’S NO WAY Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was going to win in the diplomatic dispute with India. Had he not gone public with the knowledge of “credible” intelligence that the Indian government was involved in the murder of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, he would have been condemned for keeping things from the public.

That’s exactly what happened, of course, on the issue of interference with Canadian elections by foreign governments.

But ever since he made his startling announcement in the House of Commons, his political opponents and the media have been critical of the fact he let the suspicions be known. Look what he’s done to our relationship with an important friend, they shout.

And, having received the bare bones version of what’s been going on, they also demand more information. Whatever Trudeau lets Canadians in on, it’s never enough in some people’s opinions.

Do they really expect him to reveal highly sensitive information about an international investigation that might affect national security?

Certainly, this dispute is highly unfortunate, though it does explain why things have been so testy between the prime minister and the Indian leadership.

Trudeau has done the right thing in letting us in on the situation while not getting into a yelling match with India. It’s the Indian government that doth protest too much with its expulsions, travel restrictions and visa shutdowns.

Canadians should be standing together in outrage and demanding answers from the Indian government. When a Canadian citizen is murdered and another government appears to have been involved in some way, it’s no time for divisive politics.

The fact Trudeau is under fire may well be more connected to his personal unpopularity than it is to the merits of his actions on this particular issue.

Now, however, we have a man who fought for the Nazis being honoured during a visit by the Ukrainian president. I’ll talk about what that says about the Trudeau government tomorrow…

On the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.