Amid regional tensions and global conflicts in 2024, India navigates complex diplomatic waters to cement itself as a global leader that cannot be ignored. However, its relations with Canada remain complicated – and may continue to be so – as long as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to lead the North American nation.
India-Canada relations have been on a downward trend for several years, but they hit an all-time low in October 2024, following Prime Minister Trudeau’s claim that Canadian police are investigating allegations of Indian agents, sending top diplomats directly He was formally expelled for his – and the Government of India’s – direct involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
Subsequently, Indian Ambassador to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma – now withdrawn by New Delhi – accused Mr Trudeau of damaging bilateral relations with India and insisted that Ottawa’s allegations were politically motivated. Ottawa has accused Mr. Verma of having links to Nijjar’s murder in June 2023.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV upon his return to New Delhi, he said that in fact it was India that had shared detailed evidence of radical and extremist groups operating on Canadian soil with the Justin Trudeau government, but “took no action on it Went”. Government or official.
India has consistently rejected any link to the killing of Nijjar, a terrorist named by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and has accused Trudeau’s administration of promoting Khalistani supporters for political gains.
In May, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that by giving political space to Khalistani separatist elements, the Canadian government is sending the message that its vote bank is “more powerful” than its rule of law. He stressed that India respects and practices freedom of expression, but it does not equate to freedom to threaten foreign diplomats, support separatism or give political space to elements advocating violence.
“If you have people whose presence is on very dubious documents, what does it say about you? It actually says that your vote bank is more powerful than your rule of law,” the minister said.
Also read: Canada is showing that its vote bank is more powerful than its rule of law: S Jaishankar
India-Canada Relations Decline: A Timeline
In June 2023, Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by two masked assailants while leaving a gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Canadian officials, including Prime Minister Trudeau, accused agents linked to the Indian government of carrying out the assassination.
New Delhi described the allegations as “absurd” and “absurd”. India said Ottawa “has not shared even a shred of evidence” with the government “despite multiple requests” from New Delhi.
But the unusual manner in which Canada made public its understanding that Indian officials were somehow involved in his murder derailed bilateral relations and set off a diplomatic storm that continues to this day.
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Canada expelled an Indian diplomat for the first time in 2023. In response, India also deported a Canadian diplomat and halted consular services to Canadians for nearly two months. The controversy escalated in May when Canadian police said they had arrested three Indian nationals in connection with Nijjar’s murder and were “investigating whether there is any connection to the Indian government.”
In October, Ottawa said Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s top diplomat in the country, was a “person of interest” in the case. The Trudeau government held five other expelled Indian officials responsible for Nijjar’s murder and claimed that Ottawa had “substantial, clear and convincing evidence that identifies the six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case.”
In response, India condemned Canada’s allegations, with the Ministry of External Affairs describing the allegations as part of “a deliberate strategy to defame India for political gain”. India also expelled Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats.
Also read: Amid India-Canada diplomatic rift, Justin Trudeau’s “Khalistani” support
The rift between the two countries intensified after Khalistani supporters attacked attendees of an Indian consular event at a Hindu temple in Toronto in November. New Delhi slammed Ottawa for failing to protect Indian citizens and institutions.
Amid the standoff, Mr Trudeau acknowledged the presence of Khalistanis in his country for the first time. In an unexpected statement during Diwali celebrations at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, he acknowledged the presence of a Khalistan support base within Canada, but quickly added that they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole.
He said, “There are many supporters of ‘Khalistan’ in Canada, but they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole. There are supporters of the Modi government in Canada, but they do not represent all Hindu Canadians as a whole. “
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Later in November, he also called his intelligence officers “criminals” for linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subramaniam Jaishankar to violence on Canadian soil. His statement came after the Globe and Mail newspaper published a report alleging that Canadian security agencies believed PM Modi knew about violent plots and said Mr Jaishankar and the National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was also in the loop.
