A recent report noted that the tension between Canada and India is at its peak. Both countries have expelled 6 diplomats each after the assassination of a Canadian separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, last year in British Columbia.
Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister, said that after several years of rigorous investigation, the Canadian intelligence agencies have come to the conclusion that India is involved in the murder of a Canadian separatist leader.
In response to a question asked to Foreign Minister Melanie Joly in the middle of the ongoing stalemate about whether the Canadian government is considering imposing sanctions on India, she replied, “For the rest, we will continue to push India to make sure they cooperate. We will continue to engage with our Five Eyes Partners. We will also continue to engage with the G7 partners. Everything is on the table.”
Adding that expelling diplomats is one of the strongest measures a country can take under the Vienna Convention.
However, on Monday, India expelled 6 Canadian diplomats and withdrew its high commissioner along with 5 other diplomats from Ottawa, although Canada claims that it was Indian diplomats who were expelled.
Moreover, Melanie Joly said that, “We don’t want diplomatic confrontation with India. We know that thousands of Canadians go to India every year. We have lots of people from India coming to Canada as well. So we know that there are deep people-to-people ties, and want to make sure that these are still possible.”
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