New Delhi: India-Canada ties have turned sour and the strain in the diplomatic ties can be seen as one of the lowest in any bilateral relations that New Delhi maintains with other countries. In fact, Canada is the first such Western country against which India came out with a bold stance. In a tit-for-tat move, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat, followed by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s accusation of the Indian government of being involved in the killing of a Khalistani extremist on Canadian soil.
However, the question that has come to the forefront, especially at a time when India’s reputation on the global stage is being closely watched, is what’s next for India-Canada relations and what’s at stake geopolitically? India’s former ambassador and foreign policy commentator Jitendra Tripathi told ETV Bharat that the relations between India and Canada are currently at the nadir, but in another six months’ time, things will die down and start improving.
“Currently, Trudeau is attempting to salvage his situation under the pressure of his coalition partner of New Democratic Party (NDP), which has 25 MPs supporting him. That’s why he is under pressure to speak their language, but very soon, Trudeau will realise that it is eroding his popularity not only in India or Canada but globally also", Tripathi said.
"None of the members of “Five Eyes”, had come out in unequivocal support of Trudeau, which was even more disappointing for him. Justin Trudeau is not going to survive that way any longer and at one point, he will have to buckle down sooner or later”, he added. Notably, the Leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, Jagmeet Singh, who is a strong supporter of the Khalistan movement, helped Justin Trudeau become the Canadian Prime Minister.
The 2021 Canadian federal election, held on September 20, aimed at electing representatives to the 44th Canadian Parliament’s House of Commons. The Liberal Party, led by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, secured 157 seats, but fell short of the 170 seats required for a majority government. In the 2021 election, Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party, secured 25 seats. Subsequently, Justin Trudeau entered into an agreement with Jagmeet Singh, leading to the formation of a government supported by 25 NDP members (total seats to 182). Under this arrangement, Trudeau’s liberals pledged their support to the left-leaning NDP on various issues.
The plunge in the relationship between India and Canada was first noticed when New Delhi accused the Western nations most particularly Canada of supporting extremist Sikh groups, who have supported a secessionist cause that threatens India. Indian officials have accused their counterparts in Canada, Britain, the United States and Australia of non-intervention as the diaspora mobilisation for Khalistan, the independent nation that Sikh secessionists want to establish in the Punjab region, has vandalised Indian diplomatic missions and threatened Indian diplomats quite a several time.
Furthermore, India’s former ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar, who is specialised extensively in issues related to international relations, and foreign policy, said, “We have been comfortable with India-Canada relations. India always wanted Canada should take action against the separatist groups that are spreading hate crimes. The onus of getting the relationship to this level would lie with the Canadian PM personally because he seems to have taken the decision based on his domestic political consideration”.
Meanwhile, in a shocking revelation, as per reports, Indian diplomats in Canada were snooped for intelligence, which led to allegations levelled by Justin Trudeau about India’s involvement in the killing of a pro-Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. According to reports, the communication involved Indian officials and diplomats in Canada and some of the intelligence was provided by a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, which includes the US, Britain, Australi, and New Zealand, in addition to Canada.
However, when asked about the matter, India’s Ministry of External Affairs denied commenting on such revelations. Former diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar said, “The snooping issue is a serious matter and India have to get deep into the detail of that. It is also a violation of the Vienna Convention, under which our diplomats serve in different countries”.
He opined that Trudeau wants to be in power and for that he has to pander to the whims and fancies of the National Democratic Party, led by Jagmeet Singh, who is a staunch supporter and promoter of Khalistan. In a bold move against Canada’s strong allegation, India suspended visas for Canadians. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “All categories of visas are suspended. The issue is not about travel to India, but the issue is incitement of violence and inaction by the Canadian government. Those who have valid visas and OCI cards can travel freely”.
The diplomatic ties were pushed to a new low after Trudeau in an address to Parliament, said Canadian security agencies had credible evidence that the Indian government was involved with the fatal shooting of Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. It is worth mentioning that Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India, and earlier, the Canadian government ensured that it would take strong action to protect it but failed to do so.
