Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently addressed the anticipation surrounding the country’s upcoming presidency of the G7 Summit in 2025. Speaking to reporters, Trudeau acknowledged the enthusiasm of Canadians who are eagerly looking forward to the high-profile event. He emphasized his dedication to collaborating with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other G7 leaders on a range of critical issues already discussed.
When questioned about the potential invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the 2025 G7 Summit, Trudeau responded diplomatically. “I can appreciate the keenness with which Canadians are anticipating next year’s G7. However, Italy continues to preside over this year’s G7, and I look forward to continuing my work with Prime Minister Meloni and our G7 partners on the broad spectrum of topics we’ve discussed. I will have more to say about next year’s G7 when we take on the presidency,” he remarked.
The G7 Summit held in Italy’s scenic Apulia region from June 13-15 saw India invited as an ‘Outreach Country,’ alongside participation from the seven member nations—the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, and France—and the European Union. The forthcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit will be hosted in Kananaskis, Alberta province of Canada in 2025. Trudeau confirmed this through a post on X, saying, “Just announced: The next @G7 Leaders’ Summit will be hosted here in Canada—in Kananaskis, Alberta—in 2025.”
Trudeau’s comments followed his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia on Friday. This interaction marked the first meeting between the two leaders amid ongoing strained diplomatic ties between India and Canada.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, “Met Canadian PM @JustinTrudeau at the G7 Summit.” The strains in the relationship between the two nations can be traced back to Trudeau’s allegations that “agents of the Indian government” were involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, labeled a terrorist by India, who was killed last year in Canada. The accusations were promptly dismissed by India as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot dead outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June of the previous year.
. Following the incident, India asserted that Canada had not provided any “specific” evidence or relevant information regarding Nijjar’s killing.
Earlier this May, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar denied having received any substantial evidence implicating Indian nationals in the assassination of Nijjar. Addressing media inquiries, Jaishankar commented, “I also read that another arrest has been made. If that individual is an Indian national, then by general consular practice, the government or the embassy of the country of origin is informed. Beyond that, we have consistently maintained that if there is any event in Canada, any act of violence, that warrants investigation in India, we remain open to conducting such an investigation.”
Jaishankar further highlighted that, despite these international diplomatic norms, no specific evidence sufficient for an Indian investigation had been provided. “To date, we have never received any information specific and substantial enough to be pursued by our investigative agencies. There’s been no change in this stance in the recent past,” he reaffirmed during a media interaction at a seminar on Indian Capital Markets titled ‘Roadmap for Viksit Bharat’ at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai.
These remarks came in the wake of the Canadian Police arresting a fourth suspect, Amandeep Singh (22), who is alleged to have been involved in Nijjar’s assassination. Singh was already under custody by the Peel Regional Police in Ontario facing unrelated firearms charges.
According to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) in British Columbia, Singh spent his time in multiple locations across Canada, including Brampton in Ontario, Surrey and Abbotsford in British Columbia, CBC News reported. The police have refrained from sharing additional details about his arrest due to ongoing investigations and legal proceedings.
This development followed the earlier arrests of three Indian nationals—Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh—in Edmonton. The trio faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Nijjar’s assassination.
Trudeau’s forthcoming details on Canada’s presidency of the G7 in 2025 are highly anticipated as the international community keeps a close watch on the evolving dynamics between these two significant Commonwealth nations.
