India-Canada Ties
By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri
(Secy Gen, Assn for Democratic Socialism)
Latest in India-Canada ties is the attack on Hindu Mahasabha temple in Brampton. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has jumped into the ring with a tweet on Monday evening, the 4th of November. So far, Ministry of External Affairs has been reacting to or commenting on Canada’s allegations and counter-allegations etc. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau has been levelling charges against India, starting with his statement to Parliament last year about Indian agencies’ involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.
Unusually, Prime Minister Modi has personally reacted to an unsavoury development in Canada, i.e. the said attack on the temple. He said, “We strongly condemn the deliberate attack on the Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian Government to ensure justice and the rule of law”. A strong statement indeed.
Many eyebrows were raised at this incident. A former Minister of Canada of Indian origin has commented that a red line has been crossed by the Khalistani militants. He was apprehensive too of the bias of the Canadian authorities. Read his words, “I begin to feel that there is some grain of truth in the reports that, in addition to political apparatus, Khalistanis have effectively infiltrated into our law enforcement agencies”.
India and Canada have had friendly relations for a long time. As of now, about 8,30,000 people of Indian origin live in Canada. Sikhs alone constitute 2 per cent of Canada’s population of 40 million. Because of their concentration in pockets, they are electorally quite strong in the first-past-the-poll system. Justin Trudeau’s government survives on the support of a Sikh political entity called National Democratic Party. A large number of students from India make Canada their first port of call for higher studies.
Where did the ties go wrong? Some observers attribute the nosedive in bilateral relations to the bombing of the Indian aircraft in 1985. The popular impression in India is that Canada did not strongly investigate the bombing and punish the culprits. But actually, the relationship went on a downward spiral since 2023. Justin Trudeau accused India of conspiracy in Nijjar’s killing in the Canadian Parliament without submitting concrete evidence. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun released a video message in 2023 threatening Hindus to leave Canada. He warned people of not flying by Air India which may be attacked. And worse, Pannun claimed that he has been advising the Canadian Prime Minister.
A Hindu temple in Windsor, Canada was defaced with anti-India graffiti. Another temple in Mississauga was targeted. Khalistani militants openly glorified the killers of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi during a parade in the city of Brampton. More than 20 cases of vandalism at Hindu temples were reported in the last two years. These developments give the impression to the Indian leadership and the public that Justin Trudeau is soft on Khalistanis and their sympathisers in exchange of their political support to his government. The question is whether electoral support is more important than fundamental political values that Canada stands for.
Whatever may be the compulsions and provocations on either side, whether India and Canada should confront each other and fail to resolve the differences and clear the misunderstandings or miscommunications? The democratic world is surprised that two proponents of democracy, pluralism and tolerance are at loggerheads. Is this confrontation, diplomatic as it is now, unavoidable?
Not really. Both India and Canada emphasise on diplomacy and dialogue in order to diffuse tensions in relations. It is incredible that both countries are not engaging in serious dialogue, on the contrary, are caught in a tit for tat situation. It is time they interrogate their approaches and utterances. It is time citizens in both countries ask their leadership some searching questions.
In May this year, Trudeau asserted that Canada is a rule of law country with a strong and independent justice system. But spying on diplomats, sheltering Khalistani elements, ignoring over 25 extradition requests made by India is not rule of law. Is it fair for Trudeau to club India as a cyber adversary along with Russia, Iran, North Korea and China? The National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-26 says, “We assess that Indian state-sponsored cyber actors conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for the purpose of espionage”.
Is it justified to suggest that India is becoming a threat to the Western-dominated order? Why are Canadian intelligence agencies gathering information about Indian diplomats? They have even named Indian High Commissioner S.K. Verma, “as a person of interest” in Nijjar’s murder.
On the allegation of the conspiracy in Nijjar’s murder, Canada is yet to furnish any tangible evidence. India has been asking for it. In parallel, the United States has been open about the arrest of Nikhil Gupta, who is alleged to have hired a killer to murder an American citizen in American soil. Why does Canada not come out with the evidence they claim to have in their possession? They seem to have presented the evidence to NSA Ajit Doval in Singapore. What is it? Why don’t they make a statement about it? External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said in Rajya Sabha last December that US shared the input whereas Canada did not.
To India, the questions are: should India over-react to Khalistani activities in Canada which have little repercussion in India. Canada has its own laws which prevent them from punishing such actors. Canadian flag and Bible have been burnt. Yet people are not charged with sedition. India could certainly lodge political protest against forces seeking to destabilise India’s territorial integrity. Is India’s combative posture against Canada not ill-advised? India’s projection as a big power undermining Canada’s ability to do much damage, unlike the powerful US, may hurt its national interest.
Indian leadership as well as public should realise that Canada is a member of G-7, G-20, NATO and Five Eyes. India needs the West for new technology, investment, markets for its export and allies to balance China. New Delhi certainly has genuine concerns about anti-India activities in Canada. But without engaging in dialogue, confronting Canada may not be a bright idea. Instead of attributing electoral motives to Trudeau, which are of course credible, India should hit the nail on the head by seeking evidence and demystifying the impressions.
The bone of contention between India and Canada is not beyond a diplomatic resolution. In the murder of Nijjar, who was on the look-out notice of India and most probably a victim of inter-gang war should not derail the bilateralism between two significant democracies. Any extra-judicial killing is illegal and reprehensible. Yet, it behoves on both countries to take a calm and calculated perspective on issues and restore normalcy in relations between both countries. —INFA