India-Canada Diplomatic Row

General Studies Paper-2

Context: India decided to withdraw its High Commissioner and other affected diplomats and officials from Canada.

India-Canada Bilateral Relations

• Foundation of Ties: India-Canada relations are based on shared values of democracy, cultural diversity, economic engagement, and people-to-people connections.
• High-Level Exchanges: In 2015, PM Modi visited Canada, leading to multiple agreements.
• In 2018, Trudeau visited India, signing six agreements in various sectors.
• COVID-19 Cooperation: Leaders discussed vaccine collaboration and evacuation of stranded citizens.
• G-7 Meeting (2022): The two PMs met to enhance bilateral relations.
• G20 Summit (2023): Trudeau attended the summit in India and met Modi.
• Bilateral Mechanisms: Established dialogues in trade, energy, and foreign affairs, with recent consultations in 2023.
• Security Cooperation: Counter-terrorism efforts under a Joint Working Group established in 1997.
• Civil Nuclear Cooperation: An agreement signed in 2010 for peaceful nuclear energy uses, with implementation oversight by a Joint Committee.
• Energy Cooperation: Expanded Ministerial level Energy Dialogue since 2018 to include renewables.
• Space Collaboration: MoUs signed for satellite tracking and astronomy; ISRO has launched Canadian satellites.
• Economic Relations: Total bilateral trade in 2023 reached USD 9.36 billion, with significant service trade.
• Canadian investments in India exceed CAD 75 billion, with over 600 Canadian companies operating in India
• Exports: Pharmaceuticals, electronic goods, jewelry, seafood, engineering goods.
• Imports: Minerals, pulses, potash, and chemicals.
• Science and Technology Cooperation: Multiple MoUs signed for research and technological collaboration.
• Education: Largest foreign student demographic in Canada is Indian, with around 427,000 students.
• People-to-People Relations: Canada has a significant Indian diaspora (approximately 1.8 million), contributing to its economy and society.
• Cultural Exchanges: Co-production agreements in films and joint initiatives between Canada Post and India Post.
• ICCR chairs established at various Canadian universities to foster cultural cooperation.

Diplomatic row

• In September 2023, Canadian PM Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which India rejected.
• India advised its nationals in Canada and suspended visa services for Canadians.
• Visa Resumption: Services resumed in specific categories in October and e-visas for certain categories in November 2023.
• The Ministry of External Affairs said the “unsubstantiated allegations” sought to shift focus away from “Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have been provided shelter in Canada”.
• Concerns were raised about the safety of Indian diplomats, stating that the Trudeau Government’s actions contribute to an atmosphere of extremism and violence

Future Outlook

• The Government of India strongly rejects preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics
• India indicated it reserves the right to take further actions in response to what it perceives as the Trudeau Government’s support for extremism and violence against India.