The US indictment that surfaced on Wednesday claimed a plot to kill a Sikh separatist on US grounds, prompting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to speculate that there may have been a "tonal shift" in the country's relations with India.

"I believe there's a start of realizing they can't bluster their way through this and there's an openness to collaborating in a way that maybe they weren't as open before," Trudeau stated in a year-end interview with CBC News in Canada.

There's a consensus that, well, maybe launching constant attacks against Canada won't solve the issue, he continued.

He declared, "We don't want to be in a position where we're fighting with India right now over this." We would rather be focusing on that trade agreement. Our goal is to further the Indo-Pacific strategy. However, upholding the rule of law, people's safety, and their rights is fundamental to Canada. And we intend to carry out that action.

After Trudeau said there was a "potential link" between the Indian government and the earlier this year shooting of pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, relations between India and Canada deteriorated. Nijjar, 46, was the leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), a separatist group, as well as the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey. In June of this year, he was shot outside the gurdwara by two guys who have not been named.
 

In a September 8 speech to the House of Commons, Trudeau had stated, "For the past few weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar."

The accusations were sharply denied by India, which described them as "absurd and baseless" and briefly halted visa operations to the nation. Additionally, an inquiry committee has been established to look into claims.

One month later, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) released an indictment accusing an Indian citizen of being part of a plot to kill a prominent Khalistani in the US.

"A superseding indictment charging murder-for-hire charges against Indian national Nikhil Gupta, nicknamed Nick, 52, was unsealed in the Southern District of New York today in connection with his role in a failed attempt to assassinate a US citizen in New York City,” the statement read.