The election results in Canada have been announced which were held on 21 October and no party has got a clear majority this time around. However, it is a matter of concern for India that the ruling Liberal Party of Canada, which has in recent times toed an anti-India stance on the Khalistan issue, has surprisingly emerged as the largest party by winning 157 seats, down 20 seats from the last elections. Justin Trudeau and his liberal party now need the support of 13 other MPs to reach the magic figure of 170 in the 338-seat House of Commons to form a minority government with the help of outside support.
However, the Liberal Party would be able to plug the gap with New Democratic Party’s (NDP) support as the two parties have had alliances earlier too. It is important to understand that the NDP Party, which has 24 MP’s and its leader Jagmeet Singh, are sympathetic to the Khalistan cause. This should be a cause for concern not just or India but also the Indian diaspora in Canada.
It is expected that Jagmeet Singh, who has turned Kingmaker, may form government with Trudeau. Under such circumstances pro-Khalistan elements will continue to flourish in Canada and spread their toxic venom against India. Trudeau’s return to power with a minority government backed by Jagmeet Singh, is only set to worsen Indo-Canadian relations.
The predictions of election-pundits came crashing down who had predicted that Conservatives would be coming to power, albeit, the Conservative Party made gains but could only muster 121 seats. Therefore, it is being widely believed that Trudeau would be sworn-in as the Prime Minister again. Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also congratulated Trudeau and said that under his leadership he will work towards improving relations with Canada. But the chances of relations getting better anytime soon seem bleak as Trudeau is a known Khalistan supporter and his coalition government with Jagmeet does not inspire any confidence for the Indians who were hoping for a turnaround in Canadian elections.
Jagmeet Singh, with whom Justin is by all estimates going to form the government, has attended pro-Khalistani rallies in Canada on several occasions, due to which he has been severely opposed in India. His party had won a total of 44 seats in the 2015 election. Even though Jagmeet Singh’s seats have decreased significantly but the Khalistan supporter has emerged as the ‘king-maker’. Even if we take out Jagmeet from the equation, Justin Trudeau himself is close to Khalistan supporters. His previous government had 4 Sikh ministers, one of them was Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi who was arrested in Bihar in 1988 on charges of being a pro-Khalistani supporter.
Apart from this, there was a media report about Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains that his relatives were questioned by the police in the case of Air India flight bombing in 1985. Also, Sajjan Singh, who was the Defense Minister of Canada, has been accused by Captain Amarinder Singh of being a ‘staunch supporter of Khalistan’.
The Khalistan issue has been a hindrance in India-Canada relations since the 80s and a major bone of contention between the two parties. Trudeau’s toxic love for Khalistani extremists was very profound and evident on his 2015 trip to India where his delegation consisted of Jaspal Atwal – a convicted assassin and former Sikh terrorist who tried to assassinate the visiting Punjabi cabinet minister, Malkiat Singh Sidhu, on Vancouver Island in 1987.
Since Trudeau came to power in 2015 riding on his elaborate PR strategy, the issue has largely dominated Indo-Canadian relations. In 2017, Justin Trudeau took part in the Khalsa Day Parade where Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in Operation Blue Star was portrayed as a hero. Now if the Liberal Party comes to the fore in Canada again, it does not augur well for the relations between India and Canada.
The migrant policy of the Liberal Party also remains at the centre of controversies as Trudeau has a soft-corner for migrants which has led to a steady increase in the number of illegal migrants from Pakistan and other Muslim countries to Canada which has consequently seen rise in Islamic extremism. India would be looking at the developments closely and trying to form its diplomatic strategy.
