New York
Canada said on Tuesday (September 26) that its citizens were worried about foreign interference. Addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Canada's envoy to the UN Bob Rae said, "We cannot bend the rules of state-to-state relations for political expediency because we've seen and continue to see the extent to which democracies are under threat through various means of foreign interference."
"But the truth is, if we don't adhere to the rules that we've agreed to, the very fabric of our open and of our free societies may start to tear," he added.
The Canadian envoy's comments come amid an intensifying standoff between Canada and India over the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Also read | Political convenience cannot determine response to extremism: India's Jaishankar amid Canada row
Nijjar was murdered in June. Last week, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that domestic intelligence agencies were actively pursuing credible allegations tying Indian agents to the murder, prompting an angry reaction from New Delhi. India labelled Trudeau's allegations "absurd".
India's veiled attack on Canada at UNGA
India's Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who also addressed the UNGA, slammed some countries' response to terrorism based on political convenience, in what was seen as a veiled attack on Canada amid the standoff over Nijjar's murder.
Foreign Minister Jaishankar attacked "cherry-picking" by member states when it comes to respect for territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs.
"The power of markets should not be utilised to steer food and energy from the needy to the wealthy. Nor must we countenance that political convenience determines responses to terrorism, extremism and violence," he said at the UNGA.
Jaishankar also backed the UN Security Council reforms, calling for making it 'contemporary'.
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