A crowdsourced probe; that’s what Justin Trudeau went to war with against India?

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme on Monday alleged India’s agents had a hand in “widespread” acts of violence in Canada, including the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. On Tuesday, in an interview with Radio-Canada, Duheme urged members of the Sikh Community “with knowledge relevant to the investigation to come forward” so that his force “can help them”.
But on Wednesday, while testifying before the country’s foreign interference inquiry, Duheme’s boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, admitted that his government only provided “intelligence and no proof” to India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
While Duheme is surely only following orders, Trudeau, it seems, is lost in his own fog of geopolitical missteps, attempting to patch up his government’s lack of concrete evidence against India with an absurd, desperate plea for public help. This isn’t some local hit-and-run case, yet Trudeau’s RCMP are acting like they’re canvassing for witnesses in a suburban spat. You have professional investigators who, after months of intelligence gathering, have come up empty-handed, and now you’re expecting everyday Canadians — particularly the Sikh community — to provide the magic bullet? What happened to “solid evidence” and diplomacy, Mr Trudeau?
Let’s not forget the glaring hypocrisy rooted in Trudeau’s own family legacy. While calling out the Indian government for its supposed hand in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder, Trudeau conveniently overlooks the role his father, Pierre Trudeau, played in one of Canada’s greatest tragedies. Pierre Trudeau’s refusal to extradite Talwinder Singh Parmar — the mastermind behind the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing — directly led to the deaths of 329 people; 280 of them were Canadian citizens. So, before Justin Trudeau stands on his soapbox and throws accusations without evidence, maybe he should acknowledge the skeletons in his own family’s closet.
And the timing? It couldn’t be worse. First, Trudeau thundered about how Indian agents posed a “significant threat” to Canada. Yet, on Wednesday, he admitted his government had provided India with “intelligence and no proof”. So which is it, Mr Prime Minister? Is your government truly concerned about Indian agents wreaking havoc in Canada, or is this yet another international gaffe to distract from your lack of proof?
India’s response has been loud and clear: “Where’s the evidence?” They’ve consistently denied receiving any concrete proof. If Canada hasn’t produced anything substantial through official channels, what makes Trudeau think that random submissions from individuals — potentially with their own biases — will be the game-changer?
This whole farce is a political quagmire waiting to explode. By urging the Sikh community to speak out, the RCMP and, by extension, Trudeau are risking deepening divisions within the South Asian diaspora. These are dangerous waters, where politics, community loyalties, and international diplomacy intertwine. And rather than calming the storm, Trudeau’s government seems hell-bent on turning this into a full-blown tempest.
The RCMP’s appeal to the Sikhs in Canada isn’t about cracking the case. It’s about desperation. Trudeau’s government has hit a dead end, and instead of owning up to their failures, they’re reaching for crowdsourced solutions that could worsen the situation. Public relations stunts like this don’t solve international disputes — they turn them into diplomatic nightmares.
Justin Trudeau’s fumbling doesn’t end with India — it extends well into his dealings with China. For years, Canada has faced growing evidence of Chinese interference, particularly in elections. Reports surfaced accusing Beijing of sending funds to candidates sympathetic to their agenda, meddling in the 2019 and 2021 elections. And what has Trudeau done? Almost nothing of substance. His government’s weak response has tarnished his domestic reputation.
Beijing’s economic and political clout is overwhelming, and Trudeau’s inaction only emboldens China further. The truth is Trudeau’s failure to stand up decisively to China, which most of his critics hold him guilty of, has left him scrambling for other foreign villains, like India, to project toughness. With Beijing’s meddling under his watch, it’s no surprise that Trudeau has shifted focus, calling out India on shaky grounds. It’s a classic Trudeau move — concede to China’s growing influence in Canadian society while pointing fingers elsewhere to placate his voter base.
So, while he’s busy deflecting blame, don’t be fooled. The real issue that should haunt Trudeau is China’s growing influence in Canada, a problem that his leadership has not only failed to address but arguably made worse. Trudeau’s pattern of weakness continues, and the world is watching Canada get pushed around under his ineffective leadership.
Canadians deserve better. They deserve a leader who doesn’t hide behind empty accusations and public appeals when the going gets tough. They deserve a prime minister who can navigate international tensions with diplomacy, not desperate stabs in the dark. Trudeau’s grasping at straws, and it’s time we call it what it is: a failure of leadership.
(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)