India Canada Relationship: Just (Trudeau) In the Troubled Water
Developments Post G-20 Meet between both the PMs
In light of the strained diplomatic relations between the two nations, Canada has accused New Delhi of involvement in the murder of its ‘citizen‘ Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Nijjar, who was fatally shot on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in British Columbia, had alleged ties to Khalistan, and the Indian government had offered a 10 Lakh reward for his capture. On Monday, Canada expelled a high-ranking Indian diplomat in response, and India reciprocated by expelling a Canadian diplomat. Prime Minister Trudeau himself has asserted that there is a credible connection between New Delhi and the murder of Nijjar. The diplomat asked to leave Canada was a RAW official.
Things have moved very fast between the Indian & Canada post G-20 meet between Modi and Trudeau. Canada postponed a trade mission to India scheduled for October. On October 9, “Team Canada” – a group made up of Canadian businessmen and Trade Minister Mary Ng was supposed to arrive in Mumbai. The mission would last for five days. A spokesperson for Canada’s trade minister, Shanti Cosentino, said, “At this time, we are delaying the upcoming trade mission to India.” Reuters reports that Cosentino gave no justification for the choice. The announcement came after a senior Indian government official told The Indian Express that negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between India and Canada had been put on hold. The Indian official stated, there were some political developments in Canada to which India also raised its objection. The negotiations with Canada have been put on hold temporarily (until these political developments are resolved). However, the discussions will pick up as soon as these political issues are resolved. It is only a brief pause. There is only a pause rather than a break.
Following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, in the sideline of the G20 Summit, tensions between the two nations grew. Post G-20 meet, India issued a stern statement. The Website of the Ministry of External Affairs published the following strongly worded statement about the Modi and Trudeau meet which tells the entire story behind the recent developments between India and Canada (Sept. 10, 2023) –
“Prime Minister met Prime Minister of Canada H.E. Mr. Justin Trudeau on 10th September on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
Prime Minister Trudeau congratulated Prime Minister on the success of India’s G20 Presidency.
Prime Minister highlighted that India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties. He conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomtic (read it as diplomatic) premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship. The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats.
Prime Minister also mentioned that a relationship based on mutual respect and trust is essential for the progress of India-Canada relationship.
“… a relationship based on mutual respect and trust is essential for the progress of India-Canada relationship” – the message is loud and clear from Indian side – do not expect the business as usual if you continue to provide a safe ground to Khalistanis and talks on FTA was put on hold.
It is also noteworthy that unlike other world leaders, PM Modi did not post a “welcome note” for Trudeau after the Canadian PM arrived in India. On the other hand, the Canadian prime minister was remarkably reserved throughout his entire visit to New Delhi for the G-20 summit. In a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canada insisted that it would defend the right of the Indian diaspora to hold “peaceful protests” on its soil. During their private meeting, Trudeau reportedly denounced “India’s interference in Canada’s affairs.” Prime Minister Modi allegedly “scolded” and “criticised” Trudeau during their discussions, according to foreign media outlets like Reuters and Bloomberg as well as Canadian newspapers. On September 11, opposition leader and PM in waiting Pierre Poilievre posted a picture of the front page of the Toronto Sun to social media with the caption: “Putting partisanship aside, no one likes to see a Canadian prime minister repeatedly humiliated and trampled upon by the rest of the world.
A tweet by Pierre Poilievre, opposition leader and PM in waiting, on X.
Trudeau encountered a further embarrassment when his plane encountered technical problems, resulting in a three-day delay in Delhi. India proposed the use of Air India One (PM Modi’s plane) for his journey back to Canada, an offer he politely turned down.
The Background
In Canadian politics, Trudeau is also well-liked, however he is struggling with the clean majority. Three general elections have been won by him since 2015. But under Trudeau’s leadership, the relationship between these two giants deteriorated. The Trudeau government has always maintained that in addition to opposing all forms of extremism and violence, including Khalistani extremism, the Trudeau administration will remain committed to upholding the rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. Canada has classified two extremist Sikh groups as terrorist organizations: the International Sikh Youth Federation and Babbar Khalsa. The decision was made due to worries about the violent extremism associated with these groups. The Canadian government’s national terrorism threat advisory list was updated in the early months of 2020 to include the “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” category. The goal of this inclusion was to recognize the potential threat posed by people engaged in Sikh extremist activities.
However, the Trudeau administration has come under fire for its strategy, with some contending that it has not taken a tough enough stance against Khalistani extremism. The Trudeau administration has focused its outreach efforts on Canada’s inclusive and diverse Sikh community. Attending Sikh events and recognizing the enormous contributions the Sikh community has made to Canada are just two examples of these efforts. The Indian foreign minister, Jaishankar had previously criticized the Canadian government’s inaction in the face of pro-Khalistan demonstrations and claimed that the country’s responses appeared to be motivated more by vote-bank politics than by an effective solution to the problem. He unequivocally acknowledged that the issue of Khalistan had an impact on the India –Canada relationship and urged Canada to take a clear stance. “I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence and I think it is not good for relationships and not good for Canada,” he added. His statement came after a video had emerged on social media that showed a float depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi. “Because if you look at their history, you would imagine that they learn from history and they would not like to repeat that history. It is not only one incident, however egregious it may be,” Jaishankar said. (NDTV – June, 8 2023).
Even though Canada may uphold its right to allow nonviolent protests and freedom of speech, its hidden political objectives are more than obvious.
India’s concerns relating to this Canadian stance is not misplaced at all. There are multiple reasons present to support the Indian stand on Canada –
- Trudeau made a gross diplomatic miscalculation when is he issued an official statement during the delicate time of farmers stirs in India. Trudeau said in the video posted on his Twitter account. “Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest. We believe in importance of dialogue and that is why we have reached out through multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns,” he said (Trudeau expresses concern over farmers protest – The Hindu, Dec. 1, 2020). His statemen was widely seen as an interference in the internal affairs of India to serve his selfish vote politics.
- Attacks by Khalistani groups on Indian interests have increased recently, and they are increasingly coming from Canada. As a safe haven for their anti-Indian activities, Canada has grown to be the epicenter of all Khalistani activities. A look on the recent activities of the separatists may be a clear sign of Canadian selfish vote politics.
- There have been multiple instances when the open threats were issued to Indian interests from the various pro Khalistanis groups operating in Canada. As mentioned, Trudeau government has always put pro Khalistan’s’ activities in Canada under the category of freedom to do peaceful protest.
- Khalistanis have ramped up their attacks on Hindu’s places of worships in Canada recently. On February 17, 2023, unidentified vandals destroyed a Ram temple in Mississauga, and on January 31, 2023, extremist Khalistanis destroyed the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton, both in the Canadian province of Ontario. Graffiti against India was daubed on the walls of the temple by Khalistanis who are allegedly connected to the banned organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). In September of last year, some terrorists from the Khalistan movement spray-painted anti-Indian graffiti on the Toronto Swaminarayan Temple. Social media videos displayed inscriptions on the temple’s walls such as “Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad.” The Canadian government failed to convince the world that it is taking any substantial actions against these anti Indian extremist groups.
- Supporters of Khalistan in Canada have even gone as far as to circulate posters of Indian diplomats with death threats on them. Celebrations of the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards have included processions and tableaus honoring their sacrifice as Sikhs. An organization called Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which is outlawed in India due to its close ties to Khalistani terrorists, was permitted to rally support for a vote to secede Punjab from India and to rekindle anti-Indian sentiment in various Canadian provinces. In July, a crowd of 250 pro-Khalistani demonstrators gathered in Toronto, across the street from the Indian consulate. After violence erupted at the rally, the police detained two protesters. A pro-India rally that tried to defend their diplomats and consulate office countered the protest.
History of India Canada Relationship
Despite several shared characteristics such as their democratic systems and membership in the Commonwealth, the relationship between these two nations has struggled to thrive. The Faultline in the relationship between India and Canada started way back to 1948 when Canada supported for referendum in Kashmir following the Britishers. During the cold war both nations were partying with the different factions. Canada provided India with the CIRUS (Canada-India Utility Services) research reactor. The agreement between the two countries had limited safeguards, allowing India significant latitude in utilizing the reactor’s spent fuel for the production of plutonium, which could be used in explosive devices. This reactor remained operational from 1960 until 2010. When India conducted the nuclear tests in Pokhran, Canada felt betryed. The Canadian lawmakers in Ottawa were worried that India’s nuclear tests could provoke other countries (like Pakistan) to seek same capabilities. The present Modi government endorsed 1998 nuclear tests on numerous occasions.
Due to a significant influx of Punjabi immigrants to Canada in the 1980s, India’s significance in Canadian foreign policy increased. This trend was fueled by the Canadian Liberal government’s preference for family reunification as a justification for immigration. However, India was already concerned over the actions of Canadians who supported Khalistan. These separatists were actively supporting the secession of Punjab from India. In 1985, these Sikh extremists planted a bomb on Air India Flight 182, which exploded shortly after taking off from the Vancouver airport on its way to India, the situation once more strained bilateral relations, which reached a particularly low point. Tragically, all 329 passengers perished in the explosion. The investigation was said to have been significantly delayed and that Canadian authorities were negligent. Both the countries signed a bilateral extradition treaty in 1987 and created a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism (JWGCT) to cooperate with each other. After India opened its market for the foreign investors, Canada recognized India as an emerging economy and moulded its policies accordingly. However, many factors operated for the Canadians, like India’s nuclear program, issue of human rights, child labour etc, which prevented deeper ties between two nations.
What are the Options Available to India Against Canada
“YOU DONT NEED TO BE A SUPERPOWER TO EXCERCISE YOUR OPTIONS IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS. INDIAN SHOULD CONTINUE TO STRIKE AND STRIKE HARD AGAINST ANY CHALLANGE TO ITS NATIONAL INTEGRITY.”
To address Canada’s lack of consideration for Indian interests, India will need to implement measures that come with consequences for Canada. As India’s influence and power continue to grow, it will find it easier to engage with Canada. India should now raise the matter of Canadian support for groups that are hostile to Indian interests. India should strongly raise this concern in various international forums, including the FATF, given the significant harm caused by Canada. To counteract Canada’s self-serving approach to voting in international matters, India will have to take actions that carry consequences. To send a clear message to Canada that the status quo will not be tolerated, India must take decisive action.
The unresolved differences between them date back to the Cold War era when ideological disparities appeared and continued through Canada’s failure to acknowledge India’s strategic realities. Nonetheless, Canada periodically assesses the economic aspect of this bilateral relationship in its India policy, recognizing India’s economic potential and investment opportunities it offers. Indian should take the benefit of this position. Canada is an advanced economy and a net capital exporter. It needs Indian market for its company. Presently, there are many Candian companies who have the investments in India. Canadian portfolio investors have invested billions of dollars in Indian debt and stock markets, ranking Canada as the 17th largest foreign investor in India with more than $3.6 billion invested since 2000. According to industry projections, the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) (the talks for which is paused by the Indian side) between Canada and India could increase two-way trade by up to $6.5 billion, resulting in a GDP increase of $3.8 to $5.9 billion for Canada by 2035. More than 600 Canadian businesses, including Bombardier and SNC Lavalin, are well-represented in India, while more than 30 Indian businesses, including information technology leaders TCS, Infosys, and Wipro, have invested billions of dollars in Canada and generated thousands of new jobs. On the bilateral front, India needs to give a stern message to Canada that it will not be business as usual, just like it has already done with China. After all, international relation is guided by the national interest and it is in the India’s interest to exercise its influence as an emerging market to deal with any threat to its national integrity.
Canada has been a founding member of NATO and has remained a member since its establishment. In contrast, India has consistently advocated for non-alignment. However, India’s non-membership in NATO should not pose any issues. Over the past two decades, India has developed strong ties with Western powers and effectively manages its national interests. India is an emerging market and a member of the QUAD (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue), along with Australia, the USA, and Japan. QUAD is often seen as a coalition aimed at addressing challenges posed by China. Based on recent comments from Australia and the United States regarding the evolving India-Canada relationship, it is evident that these countries are not openly siding with Canada. In terms of significance, India holds greater importance than Canada, and if India were to accuse Canada of supporting terrorism, it would be a major embarrassment for Canada.
Sources –
https://scroll.in/latest/1056070/canada-puts-on-hold-trade-mission-to-india-amid-strained-ties
https://www.international.gc.ca/country-pays/india-inde/relations.aspx?lang=eng
https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-and-canada-relations-the-long-road-to-recovery-56681/
1 COMMENTS
LEAVE A RESPONSE
What an engaging and informative article! The author did a great job. I’m curious about others’ thoughts on this topic. Click on my nickname for more engaging reads.