India - Canada: Worsening Relations
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS
India's envoy to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma, accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of destroying the ties between the two countries, asserting that he had nothing to do with the killing of a Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and that the charges against him are ‘politically motivated’.
Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year.
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats. India also expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrew its High Commissioner.
No hard evidence: India has been asking for hard evidence of its involvement. This has not been forthcoming. In fact, in an interview with Canada's private broadcaster CTV News Verma said that Trudeau's allegations over Nijjar's killing were based on intelligence inputs rather than concrete evidence. ‘The problem is that when he accused, he himself admitted there was no hard evidence. There was intelligence. On the basis of intelligence, if you want to destroy a relationship, be my guest. And that's what he (Mr. Trudeau) did.’
Trudeau himself has admitted that he had only intelligence and no ‘hard evidentiary proof’.
The Anglo-Saxon bond: India not in it
While Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s actions may seem sudden, or simply a cynical electoral ploy, Amit Julka (assistant professor of International Relations, Ashoka University) writes “they have to be understood in the context of deeper forces at play within Canadian society. Amid rising inflation and shrinking employment, anti-Indian racism is rising in Canada and the West…..
“While race may seem far removed from the world of diplomacy, one needs to keep in mind that like the United States, Canada too was built on a bedrock of Anglo-Saxon domination and the violent erasure of native communities. Despite the considerable progress the country has made towards inclusion, whiteness is as much a structural feature of domestic society in Canada, as it is for alliances such as the Five Eyes which, not coincidentally, comprises countries that share the Anglo-Saxon bond. The other factor at play is the protection afforded by the American imperial umbrella. Thus, Indians may fume about Western double standards, but they must remember that despite the depoliticised language of ‘interests' and ‘multialignment' that is loved by the commentariat, race, empire, and capital form the invisible walls of international politics. They are in the in-group, we are in the out-group.”
The flip side: impact on India’s sizeable immigrant population
Julka also talks about the flip side, “the political context in India. India’s own response has to be seen in a wider context……For decades, India’s self-styled security experts have been afflicted by the fantasy that one day, India could be just like Israel — kill whoever it wants, wherever it wants….While the actual efficacy of this policy is up for debate, it does yield handsome domestic dividends. This domestication of foreign policy also means that diplomacy becomes a means to uphold national honour and avenge any slights. And, much like in Trudeau’s case, it helps the ruling party.”
However, the “impact of such a stance on India’s sizeable immigrant population in Canada, are not considered. Moreover, the current crisis can also have domestic repercussions — so while official discourse may only name Khalistanis as a threat, majoritarian forces may be all too eager to conflate Khalistanis with Sikhs to bolster their politics.”
On the external front, for reasons mentioned previously, “the message for India is, 'You are our friend, but don’t get too big for your boots’.”
Muscular diplomacy against India’s moral image
India, nevertheless, of late has been practising the Modi brand of ‘muscular diplomacy’. This, writes Sagarika Ghose (Rajya Sabha MP, All India Trinamool Congress) “runs high risks in countries like the US and Canada.
“Canada is a stable constitutional democracy, home to approximately over a million Indians. In 2023, three lakh Indian students travelled there for higher studies. Canada is a Commonwealth partner and has deep trade and people-to-people contacts with India, as well as shared values of democracy and pluralism. Canada is also a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance and most certainly would have shared its intelligence on India with the other Five Eyes countries, such as the US. India’s links with the US are vital, deep and enduring. Over five million people of Indian origin live in the US.
“…….With friendly western democracies, diplomatic adventurism can lead to severe embarrassment. Both Canada and the US have fiercely independent criminal justice systems. And both strongly guard their citizens’ constitutional freedoms such as the right of free speech…..”
