India’s special envoy to Canada is scheduled to speak publicly today for the first time since his arrest by RCMP in connection with a murder that has rocked tensions between the two countries.
High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma will address the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations on the topic of current and future relations between India and Canada.
His speech was first released in April, months after the diplomatic spat over Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death.
Mr. Nijjar, who had long advocated the creation of a Sikh state called Khalistan from India, was shot to death outside a temple in Surrey, British Columbia, last June.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of involvement in the killing last September, and RCMP arrested three Indian nationals in connection with the incident last Friday.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reacted to the arrests over the weekend, accusing Canada of hosting criminals from his country.
Tensions between the Canadian and Indian governments have been at an all-time high since the arrest of three Indian nationals in connection with the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Bina Najibullah, vice-president of research at the Canada Asia-Pacific Foundation, said despite the tensions, India remains a strong trading partner and is of increasing strategic importance to many of Canada’s compatriots. .
“When it comes to deepening this kind of strategic partnership with India, Canada is an outlier at this point,” she said.
The tensions date back to Nijjar’s death, sparking a wave of protests. A poster has been circulated threatening Indian diplomats based in Canada.
Ottawa suspended trade talks with India last August, a month before Trudeau publicly linked New Delhi to the incident.
In response to Trudeau’s accusations, India forced Canada to expel two-thirds of its diplomats and threatened to revoke its diplomatic immunity. New Delhi also suspended visas for Canadian travelers.
“The biggest problem right now is Canada.”
Ottawa has been demanding New Delhi cooperate with the murder investigation for months. Until last week’s arrest, Verma had repeatedly said Canada needed to produce evidence.
During India’s months-long national election, Najibulla said comments from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government will only put it at odds with Canada.
In comments last week, Jaishankar referenced Sikh separatism and lamented that “the biggest problem right now is in Canada.”
India considers calls for separation from India to be unconstitutional, while Canada says its Sikhs have a right to free speech as long as they do not incite violence.
In comments related to Pakistan more broadly last month, Prime Minister Modi twice spoke in Hindi about his country’s ability to kill people abroad who challenge its territorial integrity.
Despite the rift, there is no sign that trade between Canada and India will decline, with states in particular seeking stronger ties.
Alberta Premier Daniel Smith welcomed Verma in March.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe met Jaishankar last February and spoke at the Raisina Dialogue, India’s main foreign policy conference.
Following the arrest of three suspects in the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, others in Canada’s Sikh community fear that they will be assassinated and fear that the federal government will We hope further steps will be taken to ensure safety.
The province said last week it had persuaded New Delhi to reinstate its envoy, while Saskatchewan said he was among the Canadian officials India had forced to leave. .
Mr Najibullah attended the same meeting as Mr Mo in February. She said India has expressed “tremendous confidence” in its growing economic power, population and regional influence.
He said the country has ambitions to become a world power through a foreign policy based on strategic autonomy, which means it is ready to cooperate without relying on Europe, Russia or China.
“There are a lot of partners and suitors coming up in New Delhi now,” she said.
She contrasted this with China, with which Canada maintains an important trade relationship but with whom the two countries are increasingly at odds over security, global trade rules and regional defense.
Najibullah argued that Canada should consider resuming trade talks with India despite the ongoing murder case.
“There is so much we can do together. The momentum was there even before the diplomatic crisis,” she said.
“We need to stabilize and improve that relationship because that is in Canada’s national interest.”
