Why in news?

India has ordered the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler. It also announced the withdrawal of its own High Commissioner and other diplomats from Canada, citing security concerns.

This comes after Canada identified these Indian diplomats as “persons of interest” in an ongoing investigation into the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023.

What’s in today’s article?

• India-Canada Relation
• Challenges in India-Canada relations
• India-Canada Diplomatic row: Background
• Recent Diplomatic Escalation
• Allegations by Canadian Police Against Indian Government

India-Canada Relation

• Background
  • Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1947.
  • Bilateral relation was elevated to a strategic partnership during PM Modi’s visit to Canada in 2015.
• Commercial relations
  • Bilateral Trade Relation -India was Canada’s 10th largest trading partner.
    • India’s total exports to Canada added up to US$ 4.10 billion in 2022-23, up from US$ 3.76 billion in 2021-22.
    • India’s imports from Canada added up to US$ 4.05 billion in 2022-23, up from US$ 3.13 billion in 2021-22.
  • CEPA/EPTA negotiations
    • In March 2022, the two countries had agreed to re-launch the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations.
    • Both the countries also decided to have an interim agreement or Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) that could bring commercial gains to both.
    • Trade talks were paused in September 2023 following the diplomatic row over the killing of Nijjar.
  • Nuclear Cooperation
    • Canadian aid to India in the nuclear field begun in 1956. However, this relationship deteriorated in 1974 after India conducted Smiling Buddha nuclear test.
      • Canada was among the first countries to participate in India's nuclear power program.
      • CIRUS, the first research reactor to be built in India, was built with the help of Canada.
    • Later, in June 2010, the nuclear cooperation was restored when a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (NCA) with Canada was signed.
  • People-to-People
    • Canada hosts one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, numbering 1.6 million (PIOs and NRIs) which account for more than 4% of its total population.
      • In the field of politics, in particular, the present House of Commons (total strength of 338) has 22 Members of Parliament of Indian-origin.

Challenges in India-Canada relations

• Separatist Khalistani groups
  • Canada has been providing a safe haven for separatist Khalistani groups, which New Delhi sees as the Liberal Party’s pandering to these groups for votes.
    • Diaspora Sikhs are well represented in the Trudeau government. Some of them are politically supported by pro-Khalistan groups.
    • Jagmeet ‘Jimmy’ Dhaliwal, whose New Democratic Party supports Trudeau’s minority government in Parliament, is viewed with suspicion by the Indian establishment.
  • Last year, New Delhi objected to Canada permitting a Khalistani secessionist referendum in the Sikh diaspora.
• Canada is slow to act against anti-India elements on its soil
  • Concerns that Canada is slow to act against anti-India elements on its soil have been a constant irritant in the relationship.
  • A massive controversy had erupted, in June 2023, over a social media video of a parade float depicting late PM Indira Gandhi's assassination in Canada.
    • A female figure was shown in a blood-stained white saree, with the hands up, as turbaned men pointed guns at her.
    • The parade seemed to celebrate the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
  • Parade was allegedly organised by pro-Khalistani supporters days before the 39th anniversary of ‘Operation Bluestar’ (celebrated on June 6).
• Other irritants include
  • Attacks on Indian-origin people;
  • Canadian comments over India’s farmer protests and India’s cancellation of diplomatic talks in response.

India-Canada Diplomatic row: Background

• Death of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief
  • Hardeep Singh Nijjar, wanted by the Indian government, was killed in a targeted shooting in June 2023.
    • In 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) declared a Rs 10 lakh reward on Nijjar.
    • This was after he was accused of conspiring to kill a Hindu priest in Punjab's Jalandhar.
  • Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey.
• Issue raised on the sidelines of G20 Summit
  • On the sidelines the G20 Summit in Delhi on September 10, Canadian PM and PM Modi had discussed Khalistani extremism.
  • He also raised the issue of foreign interference in this murder and asked India for cooperation in the investigation.
  • On the other hand, during the meeting, PM Modi had expressed his deep concerns to Canadian PM about the ongoing anti-India activities being carried out by extremist elements in Canada.
• PM Trudeau raises the issue in the parliament of Canada
  • On September 18, 2023, Trudeau told parliament that Canada was actively pursuing credible allegations, linking Indian government agents to Nijjar's killing.
  • India dismissed Trudeau's assertion as absurd.
  • Each country expelled a diplomat in tit-for-tat moves, with Canada throwing out India's top intelligence officer in the country while India expelled his Canadian counterpart.

Recent Diplomatic Escalation

• India’s Response and Diplomatic Withdrawal
  • India stated it was withdrawing its diplomats due to safety concerns, accusing the Trudeau government of not ensuring their security.
  • By the evening of October 14, India’s MEA summoned Canadian diplomats and informed them of the decision to expel six of their diplomats.
  • These developments followed Ottawa naming India’s High Commissioner to Canada and a few other diplomats as 'persons of interest' in the investigation into Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.
• Long-standing Tensions in India-Canada Relations
  • India has been critical of Trudeau’s stance on various issues, including his support for the farmers’ protests in India and his perceived leniency towards Khalistani separatist movements.
  • India accused Canada of sheltering extremists and disregarding extradition requests for individuals involved in organized crime and terrorism against India.
• Canada’s Position and Evidence
  • The Acting High Commissioner of Canada claimed that Canada had presented credible evidence linking Indian agents to Nijjar’s murder and urged India to cooperate in the investigation.

Allegations by Canadian Police Against Indian Government

• The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) accused Indian government agents of collaborating with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to spread terror in Canada.
  • Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster from Punjab currently imprisoned in India, is suspected by the Mumbai police to be involved in the recent killing of former MLA Baba Siddiqui.
• Bishnoi’s criminal network is reportedly active in Canada, and Canadian authorities allege that the Indian government has used this network for targeting dissidents.