Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses.
It was a short while ago that the RCMP announced they had evidence that agents of the Government of India are actively involved, here in Canada, in a network of criminal activity that includes homicide, extortion, organized crime and interference in our democratic process. It's a network of crime that could potentially mean the involvement of some of India's highest-ranking diplomats and politicians.
First of all, I deeply thank the law enforcement agencies for your work, for uncovering this and for taking the action to protect Canadians. As I say this, I have a deep recognition that.... I don't know whether you folks know quite what you've done. For many Canadians of Sikh heritage, your words confirm what they already knew and felt. For decades, in gurdwaras, in homes and behind closed doors, Sikhs knew that they were being watched, monitored and targeted. What you've done is legitimize their concerns with the evidence and investigation that you engaged in.
Every time there's new information that comes out or an announcement that happens, I'm asked by my colleagues, my family and members of the community, “How are you? How is the overall community doing?” There's always a deep sigh of relief that their plight is not being ignored and, in fact, is being heard and acted upon. I think all Canadians can appreciate that the potential link of the murder of a Sikh, and other crimes in Canada, to the Indian state strikes at the very heart of the security that a lot of Sikhs and members of other communities come to Canada to find. This is why I think your work is so critical, and I deeply thank you for that work.
Ms. Drouin, my first question is for you. A criminal who is jailed in a foreign jail, in India, who acts at the behest of the Indian government for basic immunity to carry out his operations, is, quite literally, the plot of several Bollywood movies that I watched while I was growing up, and it's funny to see that the Indian government takes its hints from Bollywood. This is an individual who's being kept in an Indian jail, and there's potential involvement of Indian ministers and diplomats. How far does our jurisdiction reach? What action can be taken against a Lawrence Bishnoi type of figure if the evidence actually shows that there is a connection all the way through?