Toronto: Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised at a rally attended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau organised on the occasion of Khalsa Day celebrations in Toronto. Apart from the Canadian PM, leader of the opposition Pierre Poilievre, and Mayor Olivia Chow also attended the event.

At the event, Trudeau assured the Sikh Community in the country that the government is committed to safeguarding their rights and freedoms at all costs. He stated that diversity is one of Canada’s greatest strengths, adding that the country is strong not despite its differences, but because of them.

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walked up to address the Sikh Community in Toronto during the event, loud pro-Khalistan slogans were raised from the crowd. According to the visuals, several people shouted ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ at the event.

Earlier in March this year, pro-Khalistan supporters gathered in Edmonton in Canada’s Alberta for a protest that lasted several hours with continuous anti-India chants, targeting the Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma, who they accused of being involved in the assassination of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau, while addressing the event, said, “To the nearly, 800,000 Canadians of Sikh heritage across this country, we will always be there to protect your rights and your freedoms, and we will always defend your community against hatred and discrimination.”

He added, “I know many of you have loved ones that you want to see more often, that is why our government has negotiated a new agreement with India to add more flights, and more routes between our countries, and we will keep working with our counterparts to add even more flights, including to Amritsar.”

India-Canada diplomatic relations hit rock bottom after Justin Trudeau’s remarks on the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. While addressing the Canadian Parliament, PM Trudeau claimed that his government had reasons to believe that Indian agents were involved in the killing of the Khalistani leader Nijjar. India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’.