Questions mount about security precautions for Nijjar after India's government linked to killing
Canadian Sikh leader was killed in B.C. in June
Ever since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made his bombshell allegation that Canada has "credible intelligence" linking agents of the Indian government to the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, questions have been gathering about what, if any, protections were offered to Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Sikh leader was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C., on June 18 and reportedly had been warned by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that he was at risk.
Nijjar, a supporter of a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state, had been branded a "terrorist" by the Indian government and accused of leading a militant separatist group — something his supporters have denied.
According to reporting by Global News, Nijjar's friends said CSIS had told him it had information that he was "under threat from professional assassins."
Dennis Molinaro, a former national security analyst with the federal government, said that if CSIS contacted a subject, it would have had credible information.
"The biggest question that come from that is, what transpired after that? Did the RCMP actually look into this? Were they looking into it? Did they have someone under surveillance? If they didn't, why not?" he said.
Molinaro said it's possible the intelligence service was aware that Najjar was in danger without knowing any details.
"What might be happening here is they may have an idea that there's a threat against an individual, but they don't know who's going to carry it out, or how," he said.
"But then that should then at least trigger some type of more closer cooperation with law enforcement."
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc deferred questions about personal protection arrangements to the RCMP.
"The individual decisions by law enforcement agencies around who receives police protection are made by police officials, not by ministers," he told reporters after leaving a cabinet meeting Tuesday.
"I have every confidence in the RCMP, based on my extensive conversations with their leadership over the last number of months, that they have the resources necessary and the plans in place to protect Canadians."
The RCMP said in a statement that it is limited in what it can say because the investigation is still ongoing.
LeBlanc said he has instructed CSIS to share its intelligence with the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
Lives are at risk: Singh
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he wants to see a plan going forward to better protect those on India's radar.
"Giving someone awareness of, or a briefing on potential threats without having a clear plan to protect them, is I think a failure," he said.
"There are people whose lives are at risk right now."
Mukhbir Singh of the World Sikh Organization called on the Canadian government to better protect the community.
"There have been a number of cases where officials have warned them that there was a threat to their life," he told a news conference Tuesday.
Singh said he hopes the recently announced public inquiry into foreign election interference will also look at protecting diaspora communities.
"When we look into foreign interference and the role of that in Canada, it goes hand-in-hand at looking at the physical protection that is needed for certain Canadians here," he said.
Dick Fadden, former director of CSIS and a former national security adviser to two prime ministers, said the Canadian government needs to get better at protecting at-risk communities.
"Have they done enough? I personally don't think they have done enough. The Sikh community certainly don't think they've done enough," he said.
"I think we may have to be more aggressive in Canada in monitoring representatives of other states and various communities to make sure that we can offer them protection. Because if a state can't do that and protect its own citizens, there's a fundamental issue."
Trudeau sent shock waves around the world when he stood in the House of Commons on Monday and accused the Indian government of playing a role in the brazen killing of Nijjar.
"We are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them," Trudeau told reporters Tuesday before a cabinet meeting.
"The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness."
WATCH | Ex-CSIS boss says foreign interference needs to be a 'major priority'
Andrew House, who served as chief of staff to two Conservative public safety ministers, said the debate about whether sufficient protection was provided needs more facts.
"That's going to be a hot and valid debate — did they do enough?" said House, who now leads the national security group at Fasken Law.
"We're told he was warned. Keeping a person safe 24/7 is probably not the job of our security intelligence service. It may be the job of another agency in Canada. It's extremely expensive, labour intensive and it's usually often not welcomed by the person that we're seeking to protect."
House said that's why he hopes to hear more information from the prime minister.
"I'd like to see him finish that job. Come back to us," he told CBC. "Tell us what you can when you can."
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