(Ottawa) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on his re-election, while reiterating the importance of the rule of law.
Mr Modi won a week-long election on Tuesday, securing a majority but losing more seats than expected to opposition parties.
Despite the significant volume of trade between Canada and India, relations have been strained for years due to efforts by some Canadians to advocate for the creation of a Sikh homeland separate from India.
These tensions came to a head last fall when Mr. Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver.
In a written statement, the Liberal leader said Canada is “ready to work with India to advance relations between our peoples so that they are based on human rights, diversity and primacy law “.
Canadian advocates of Sikh separatism maintain that they still do not trust the Indian government.