Trudeau promises to meet with MP responsible

Prime minister was forced to defend himself multiple times on trouble-laden trip

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will sit down with Liberal MP Randeep Sarai sometime next week to discuss his invitation of a known would-be assassin to two receptions in India. The Conservative party is pushing for further action, calling for an emergency meeting of the public safety and national security committee to review the Privy Council Of- fice’s screening practices. Jaspal Atwal, a former member of an illegal Sikh separatist group convicted of attempted murder, attended at least one event tied to the Trudeau visit where he was pictured with Sophie Trudeau and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi. He also was invited to dine with the prime minister at a formal event hosted by the Canadian High Commissioner Thursday in Delhi, but that invitation was later rescinded. “This is a situation that obviously is unacceptable and we will follow up on it ... This individual should never have been invited,” Trudeau told reporters Friday. “I will be having a conversation with that MP in Canada next week.” Sarai, a Surrey Centre MP, sent out a statement earlier this week taking the blame. “Let me be clear — this person should never have been invited in the first place,” the statement said. “I alone facilitated his request to attend this important event. I should have exercised better judgment, and I take full responsibility for my actions.” Trudeau travelled with 14 MPs, but Sarai has drastically lowered his profile since the news broke Wednesday. The Atwal incident has dominated international headlines on Trudeau’s trade trip. The prime minister also has had to defend his decision to don traditional Indian clothing and has faced criticism for bringing his entire family on the trip.