Canada has repatriated two-thirds of its diplomats to India, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said on Thursday, at a time when relations between New Delhi and Ottawa have hit their lowest point.
41 Canadian diplomats and 42 members of their families left India. There are still 21 diplomats stationed in the country.
This decision was taken after India officially announced its intention to unilaterally remove immunity [de 41] Canadian diplomats and their families in New Delhi, Minister Joly said during a press conference in Ottawa, accompanied by federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
Forty-one Canadian diplomats and 42 dependents faced having their immunity lifted at an arbitrary time, endangering their personal safety. In view of the measures taken by the Indian government, we have decided to ensure the safe exit of these diplomats and their families.
Tensions rose between the two countries last month after Prime Minister Trudeau told the House of Commons on September 18 that there were “credible allegations” of a possible link between the Indian government and the murder of a Canadian Sikh citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar , give.
The Indian government has rejected the allegations and described them as absurd. In retaliation, New Delhi demanded that Ottawa repatriate around forty of its diplomats stationed in India and demanded an equal number of diplomats present in both countries.
India claimed to have only 21 diplomats accredited to Canada and said Canada has 62 on its soil, spread across the High Commission in New Delhi and four consulates in Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Bengaluru.
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Ministers Mélanie Joly and Marc Miller during a press conference in Ottawa, October 19, 2023
Photo: The Canadian Press / Adrian Wyld
New Delhi had given Canada until October 10 to withdraw 41 of its diplomats so that the diplomatic corps of both countries would be equal. Ottawa hoped to reach a diplomatic solution through negotiations, sources said, but those talks appear to have failed.
During her press conference, Ms. Joly specifically recalled that India’s decision to “unilaterally waive” the immunity of foreign diplomats violates international law and the Vienna Convention, making an unreasonable threat but contributing to worsening the situation.
If we accept this approach, no diplomat on the planet will be safe. For this reason, Canada will not take the same approach as India.
escalation
Canada had already expelled a top Indian diplomat, Pavan Kumar Rai, last September. The Indian government responded by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat who was stationed in India.
On September 21, the Indian government announced that it would suspend processing visa applications from Canadian citizens.
That day, during a press conference, the Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also confirmed that Ottawa had been informed of the need to reduce its diplomatic staff in New Delhi. Number [leurs diplomates] in India is much higher than here in Canada, said Arindam Bagchi, emphasizing that it is a question of parity.
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In Toronto, a protester tramples on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s carrier. (archive photo)
Photo: Getty Images / COLE BURSTON / AFP
“We have seen Canadian diplomatic interference in our internal affairs,” Mr. Bagchi further said during a press conference in New Delhi. This is a factor that will be taken into account in the search for a parity of diplomatic presence in both countries.
According to Jeff Nankivell, a former Canadian diplomat, Canada needs large consular missions in India to process the volume of visa applications from that country, which is both the main country of origin for international students in Canada and the number one country of origin for immigrants to Canada in general .
Minister Joly said Thursday that the repatriation of the 41 diplomats will impact consular services for Canadian and Indian citizens. Unfortunately, we had to suspend in-person services at our consulates in Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bengaluru, she said. Canadians in need of consular assistance can continue to contact the High Commission in New Delhi.
For his part, Immigration Minister Marc Miller assured that Canada will continue to accept and process all applications for permanent and temporary residency from India.
Delays [sur le plan] Processing of inquiries from India is planned. Customers therefore risk longer delays and have to wait longer to receive answers to their questions or a visa in their passport.
He further said that the diplomatic staff remaining in India will continue to take care of matters that cannot be handled from outside the country, such as urgent cases and printing of visas, among others.
On Wednesday, Australian intelligence chief Mike Burgess said he had no reason to doubt Canadian claims that the Indian government was involved in Mr. Nijjar’s death.
“I have no reason to dispute what the Canadian government has said on this issue,” Mr. Burgess said in an interview with Australian public television.
Australia is one of Canada’s partners in the so-called Five Eyes alliance, an information sharing network that also includes the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
With information from Louis Blouin