Butts says timing of India rift 'couldn’t be worse' as minister urges de-escalation

A former advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the timing of Canada’s rift with India “couldn’t be worse,” as a federal cabinet minister made a plea for de-escalation.

Gerry Butts, vice chair of Eurasia Group and Trudeau’s former Principle Secretary, said Friday that the allegations that India was involved in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in B.C. come at a time when many of Canada’s allies are strengthening their ties to New Delhi.

“The United States and its allies are trying to establish an alternative pole of influence in Asia other than China, so the timing couldn't be worse for this from a geopolitical perspective,” Butts said in a television interview with BNN Bloomberg Friday.

Butts, who was a friend of Trudeau’s from their university days before working with him in government, added that he believes Canada’s NATO allies will ultimately “stand together’ against alleged foreign interference.