Relations between India and Canada have deteriorated due to Khalistani terrorists. Now these relations are being discussed not only in the two countries but also in other nations. The reason for this discussion is that India and Canada have had good relations for a long time. But in the last few days, Canada has resorted to such acts that it is very difficult to say when the relations between the two countries will improve.
If we look at the relations between the two countries, former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper wanted to move forward by maintaining good relations with India. Stephen Harper and PM Modi enjoyed good working relations. This is the reason why both countries came forward to increase mutual trade. To increase trade, talks were also being held on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and Canada. Also, India had readied a nuclear deal with Canada. Under this deal, India was to get uranium from Canada. The deal was readied under the Prime Ministership of Stephen Harper. But after the general elections in Canada in 2015, Stephen Harper and his conservative party were replaced by Justin Trudeau and his liberal party.
How the relations deteriorated
The relationship between Harper and Modi was so good that when PM Modi visited Canada in the year 2019, he also took time to meet former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Therefore, hardly anyone would have thought that things could change after Trudeau’s arrival. But Trudeau began showing his true colours from the start.
Stephen Harper came to India a year after becoming the Prime Minister of Canada. On the other hand, Justin Trudeau first visited China in the year 2017 after assuming power and then he came to India in the year 2018. It is worth noting that Justin Trudeau’s visit to China was not successful. It was even reported in the media that Trudeau had to return empty handed from China.
‘Khalistan lovers’ came to India under compulsion
Since Justin Trudeau was unable to get a good deal from China, he needed a strong partner in Asia. In such a situation, it would not be wrong to say that Trudeau came to India under compulsion. In this tour too, Justin Trudeau showed his love for Khalistan by inviting Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal for dinner. However, later after the protest in India and the intervention of the government, Trudeau had to cancel this dinner.
In this visit of Justin Trudeau, a document was shared between India and Canada regarding terrorism. In this document, it was said to work together against the Islamic terrorist organization Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Khalistani terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa International. Not only this, in March 2019, Canada also released a report saying that for the first time the threat of Khalistan was discussed. After the bilateral talks between Modi and Trudeau, the report released by Canada, it was believed that perhaps Canada wanted to change its image of being a Khalistani haven. At the same time, it seemed Canada wanted to improve its relations with India. But this did not happen.
If we look at the situation regarding the FTA i.e. Free Trade Agreement, the Justin Trudeau government has not been able to take any decisive action on it till date. At the same time, in the year 2023, Trudeau also accused India of the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Not only this, now in October 2024, Canada has termed India’s chief diplomat as a “Person of Interest”.
In fact, Canada had said that there was evidence against India in the murder of Nijjar. On this, the Canadian Foreign Interference Commission had called Justin Trudeau for questioning. Where Trudeau directly denied having evidence against India. This is the same Trudeau, who was constantly talking about having evidence against India in public rallies and meetings. But when it came to presenting the evidence, Trudeau had no choice but to speak the truth. As soon as Trudeau’s statement came out, it became clear that he was conspiring against India only for political gains and the vote bank of Khalistanis in Canada
Justin Trudeau won the election due to China’s ‘scandal’
It is worth noting that the Foreign Interference Commission of Canada had issued a report saying that foreign forces had a hand in the elections of 2019 and 2021. It included the names of China, Russia, Iran, India and Pakistan. However, China has been described as having the biggest role or ‘main culprit’ in this. Interestingly, the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau won both the elections of 2019 and 2021. China has been found to have the biggest hand in influencing the elections in Canada. Also, the name of Trudeau’s party MP Han Dong, who is a Canadian citizen of Chinese origin, also came to light and he had to resign.
Now two things become very clear here. Firstly, there was no real evidence, but still Justin Trudeau was openly accusing India. Secondly, there is already talk of evidence against China. Trudeau’s own MP had to resign in this regard, but still Trudeau and his Liberal Party leaders are blaming India.
Now if we put all these things together, it becomes clear that there are political reasons behind Justin Trudeau’s support to Khalistanis, anti-India statements and not speaking against China, not strategic ones. Simply put, Justin Trudeau is busy preparing for the elections to be held in October 2025. Actually, Justin Trudeau sees his political future in danger. First of all, the MPs of Trudeau’s party are opposing him and demanding his resignation. At the same time, MP Shawn Casey has even said that now the voters also want Trudeau’s resignation.
Not only this, in a survey released in June 2024, the Conservative Party is 20 points ahead of Trudeau’s Liberal Party. At the same time, 59% of the population of Canada does not want Trudeau to remain the Prime Minister. Trudeau’s party recently had to face defeat in the federal seat, which they had occupied for 30 years. This means that Trudeau’s pathway for a return seems extremely difficult. Trudeau also realizes this, and it seems he wants to remain the Prime Minister by any means possible. For this, he is first engaged in polarizing the vote bank of Khalistani terrorists.
If we look at the statistics, Sikh voters are around 2% of Canada’s total vote bank. But in some areas of Canada, Sikh voters can prove to be decisive. For example, in Ontario, Toronto and Vancouver, the number of Sikh voters is more than other voters and they are capable of directly influencing the elections. It can also be understood in this way that in 1993, there was only 1 Sikh MP in Canada. But now there are 18 Sikh MPs. This simply means that Sikh voters have direct interference in the Canadian Parliament. In such a situation, they are trying to woo the vote bank of Khalistanis by making statements against India.
Now if we consider Justin Trudeau’s relationship with China, it is clear that China is supporting Trudeau. The main reason for this is that the relations between the Chinese Communist Party and the Conservative Party of Canada have not been good. If we look at history, the Chinese Communist Party has been calling the Conservative Party of Canada anti-China as well as ‘poison’. That is why Xi Jinping wants Trudeau to come back to power. On the other hand, Trudeau also has no problem with China. First of all, Trudeau feels that China will never speak against anti-India Khalistan and secondly, in the coming elections, China can once again influence the voters and turn the election in their favor. Which can prove to be a panacea for Trudeau who is losing the election.
Can India-Canada relations improve again?
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the only one responsible for spoiling India-Canada relations. He made one-sided allegations without considering future relations or mutual agreements with India. Now even if he comes forward and apologizes, the spoiled relations between the two countries may not improve. However, if Justin Trudeau does not return to the government after the 2025 elections or if someone else is the face of the government after the Liberal Party wins the elections, then perhaps the relations can improve. Apart from this, if the Conservative Party comes to power, they may take the initiative to improve relations with India by carrying forward the legacy of their leader and former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.