Even though the Indian government gave Canada until Tuesday to reduce its diplomatic presence, discussions between Canada and India on the future of several dozen Canadian ambassadors in New Delhi are still ongoing.
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, stated that there were “credible allegations” that India may have been connected to the June murder of a Canadian Sikh activist near Vancouver. India this month ordered Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats stationed there by October 10.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter, Canada was attempting to settle the dispute with India, which had threatened to revoke diplomatic immunity for diplomats who continued after the deadline. According to a Canadian official, Canada did not remove any diplomats before the deadline.
When Trudeau informed the Canadian parliament last month that Canada was looking into claims that India was responsible for the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader involved in a movement advocating for an independent Sikh state in India, ties between Canada and India fell apart.
The claims, which Trudeau brought up with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 meeting in New Delhi in September, have been characterized by India as “absurd.”
During the G20, US President Joe Biden brought up the matter with the leader of India as well. India did not refute the allegations in private, according to an earlier Financial Times investigation, which India = has disputed.
After Trudeau’s shocking statement, one diplomat from Canada and India was expelled. Canada was no longer granted visas by India.
Additionally, India declared its desire for “parity” between the number and rank of ambassadors stationed in each nation. Because Canada has a sizable consular division that handles visas for families of the approximately 1.3 million Canadians who claim Indian ancestry, Canada has more diplomats in India than India does in Canada.
Last week, Trudeau and Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, stated that Canada was attempting to end the standoff in private. According to Joly, the strained relations between the two nations highlight how crucial it is to “have a strong diplomatic footprint in India.”
According to persons acquainted with the matter, Joly also met in secret in Washington a few days prior with S Jaishankar, the foreign minister of India. The foreign ministry of Canada chose not to respond.
India has justified its demand for parity by pointing to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Canada has refuted that claim, claiming India is misinterpreting the agreement that establishes the parameters of diplomatic relations.
The head of the Canadian Senate’s foreign affairs and international trade committee, Peter Boehm, stated that the treaty included no mention of parity or the right to unilaterally determine the number of diplomats. The Vienna Convention’s provisions will be respected and India will respond appropriately if it is a law-abiding country, according to Roland Paris, a Canadian University professor of foreign affairs.
