Good morning. A year after Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death, mysteries remain about how he really lived – more on that below, along with a bellwether by-election and Celine Dion’s heart-wrenching doc. But first:
Today’s headlines
- Ottawa is split on a plan to let undocumented migrants apply to stay in Canada, Immigration Minister Miller says
- Advocates in Nova Scotia are racing to give two of France’s last captive orcas a new home
- Netanyahu says Israel is winding down its Gaza operations. But he warns a Lebanon war could be next
The Globe and Mail
Exclusive
The enigmatic Nijjar
One year ago, two gunmen rushed into a temple parking lot in Surrey, B.C., and killed Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In September – after waves of protests, rallies for an independent Sikh homeland, and a terse G20 summit in New Delhi – Justin Trudeau stood up in the House of Commons and linked “agents of the Indian government” to the assassination. Canada downsized diplomatic staff in India; India suspended visa services for Canadians. Now, we’re at something of a stalemate: New Delhi demands evidence of its involvement, and Ottawa wants co-operation with the evidence that’s been shared.
But who, exactly, was the man at the centre of this crisis? My colleagues Nancy Macdonald and Greg Mercer spent months sorting rhetoric from reality to write this in-depth profile of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. I spoke with them about where their reporting led.
In the end, you sorted through thousands of court records, conducted dozens of interviews, analyzed evidence and even geolocated photos for this investigation. But where did you start?
Macdonald: My job was to speak with people close to Nijjar. For months, I was spending more time in Surrey than in Richmond, where I live. There were parts of Nijjar’s past that people were not comfortable discussing, and it was tough sledding to get people to open up. A lot of nights, I would drive home bone-tired, trying to make sense of the often-conflicting things I was being told about Nijjar. Greg started by digging into the Khalistan separatist movement in North America: who the key players are, examining India’s evidence against them, and developing sources in Canadian law enforcement and with Indian lawyers.
As I read, I kept thinking that everyone is searching for some agreement about what Nijjar was up to – but we can’t even settle on his age. What were some of the hurdles for you?
Mercer: There’s a lot of disinformation around Nijjar and Sikh separatists coming out of India, and much of that is widely repeated by the Indian media. Even the evidence filed in Indian criminal cases linked to Khalistan is complicated by political motives and feature wide-ranging allegations, often without compelling proof. India denied our request for a visa to report on this story, which further complicated things.
Macdonald: Trying to get people to speak about Nijjar’s complex past was extremely challenging. There was a lot riding on maintaining the simple version of him that emerged in the wake of his death – Sikh activist, plumber, family man.
Guru Nanak temple on the anniversary of Nijjar's killing.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
India says Nijjar co-ordinated terrorism from Canadian soil. What does your reporting reveal?
Mercer: We know he was surrounded by Sikh militants as a boy; had close relationships with several militants responsible for killings in India as he grew older; and was linked to the militant Khalistan Tiger Force, although his leadership of that group is in dispute. The problem with much of India’s evidence is that it’s based on statements from people in Indian custody, and part of the reason Canada is hesitant to extradite people to India is because of the concern that torture is used to extract confessions. Nijjar certainly called for violence and associated himself with known Sikh militants. But the evidence linking him directly to specific crimes in India is thin.
The four suspects accused of Nijjar’s murder will appear in court on Tuesday. What happens next?
Mercer: I’m curious what we can learn about who directed this plot, and how far up the chain of command this goes. There’s a lot of evidence that a campaign to crack down on Khalistanis – and Nijjar’s killing was one of several plots linked to India – would need to be approved by the very top of the Indian government.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Shot
An old-growth-forest sleight of hand
B.C.'s Cowichan Lake Main in March.Chad Hipolito/The Globe and Mail
One of Canada’s largest timber companies had a proposition for customers looking to offset emissions: Buy its carbon credits, and it would save 40,000 hectares of land from logging in B.C. But it seems those trees were never at risk in the first place. Read more here.
The Week
What we’re following
Today: It’s the federal by-election, and Toronto-St. Paul’s should have been a lock for the Liberals, who’ve held it for 30 years. Instead, Conservatives think they can cut through the many (many) protest candidates to turn the riding – and, eventually, the country – blue.
Tonight: Can the Oilers become just the second team in NHL history to battle back from three games down and somehow – improbably, miraculously, and thanks to a fair bit of Florida choking – win the Stanley Cup?
Tomorrow: I Am: Celine Dion premieres on Prime Video. Brad Wheeler says it wouldn’t hurt to have some Kleenex handy, and Konrad Yakabuski is among the Quebeckers rooting hard for Dion’s comeback.
Thursday: No audience, no RFK Jr. – it’s Biden vs. Trump for the first U.S. presidential debate.
Saturday: The Tour de France kicks off in Florence (and, thanks to prep for the Paris Olympics, will finish in Nice on July 21).