Canada’s Senate speaker will not attend a two-day G20 event in New Delhi this week, India said on Thursday, as ties remain frozen after Canada said it is investigating allegations linking Indian agents to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader.
Speaker Raymonde Gagne will not be present at the two-day parliamentary speakers’ summit that starts on Friday, as part of India’s year-long presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies, which expires in November.
“We invite all members to G20 events. Participation is their decision and subject to several factors,” said Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
“I’ll have to check whether anybody is attending from Canada because the parliament speaker could not attend.”
Bagchi said that India is in touch with Canada at “various levels” and remained “committed to ensuring parity” on Canadian diplomatic presence.
