09 June 2025 : While pro-Khalistan elements campaigned over the weekend against the participation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 leaders’ summit being hosted by Canada this month, several Indo-Canadians groups have supported the invitation and stressed that anti-India protesters may be loud but they comprise a fraction of the community.
Among those supporting the initiative of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to invite his Indian counterpart of the summit in Kananaskis in Alberta in mid-June was Radio India managing director Maninder Gill. He said, “We have received a lot of calls from our listeners at Radio India welcoming PM Modi’s visit to Canada. I congratulate PM Carney for putting Canada first, diaspora politics cannot guide Canada’s foreign policy. Fringe sectarian groups cannot hold the India-Canada relationship as hostage.”
Gill, who also leads the Friends of Canada and India Foundation, had written to Carney earlier asking the PM to invite Modi and received an acknowledgement from the prime minister’s office stating the concerns he had raised had been “carefully read” and that the remarks had been forwarded to Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand for “her information and consideration”.
“Those opposing PM Modi’s visit to Canada do not represent the entire Sikh community, the membership of these groups limited to couple of hundred people in a 2 million strong diaspora,” Gill asserted.
The Hindu Canadian Foundation also praised Carney, saying the PM was “demonstrating strong leadership by staying true to his commitment to put Canada first. He remains steadfast in his vision, focusing on what truly benefits Canadians without yielding to external pressures”.
In a post on X, Canada India Foundation chair Ritesh Malik said Carney “did the right thing for us Canadians” by inviting Modi. “Only people who don’t like this is shallow minded, selfish, self-centred who pretend to be Canadians & work on their hateful agenda,” he added.
But opponents of the invite made their presence felt over the weekend during protests in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area. On display were tableaux depicting Indian leaders behind bars for the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey on June 18, 2023. The secessionist group Sikhs for Justice has planned a “convoy” to the G7 to protest Modi’s presence there, and given a call to “Ambush Modi’s Politics” for 48 hours on June 16 and June 17.
The leaders’ summit is scheduled for June 15-17 and the venue adjoins the city of Calgary.
Summary:
Indo-Canadian organizations support PM Modi’s visit to the G7 summit, emphasizing India’s vital role in global discussions despite some opposition from Sikh advocacy groups.