The diplomatic crisis facing Ottawa and New Delhi reflects a lack of “seriousness” on Canada’s part when it comes to issues of national security and foreign interference, according to several experts.
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Already tense Indo-Canadian relations deteriorated further earlier this week when Canada raised the Indian government’s possible involvement in the killing of a Sikh leader near Vancouver in June.
“The crisis with India is a huge blip,” Charles-Philippe David, a professor of diplomatic studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal, tells AFP, adding that Ottawa has been receiving red flags about foreign interference for a “long time.” territory.
In his opinion, the global context, “which has changed in recent years and accelerated through Ukraine,” is forcing Canada “to choose camps and take harder and firmer positions.”
But so far, in his opinion, the country is in a state of “dormant” that leads to a lack of ambition, resources and leadership.
“We need to take international relations and foreign policy much more seriously than we have in a long time,” emphasizes David.
One of his colleagues at the University of Ottawa points out that Canada has not reviewed its foreign policy for “a generation or two.”
“This is a failure of our government, no matter which party is in power. We need an appropriate defense policy,” John Packer, professor of public and international affairs, told AFP.
The latter believes that a growing number of autocracies are now exerting their influence on Canadian soil.
“The people here were confident because they were surrounded by three oceans and an allied neighbor to the south,” he summarizes. “But that is no longer the case, even these oceans no longer serve as barricades.”
“Polite, friendly student”
According to Professor Packer, the tensions with India prove that “the world has changed and it is necessary to adapt to it”.
“Maybe we were a little naive and not vigilant enough to defend our sovereignty,” he continues.
Especially since Ottawa, in addition to India, also has difficulties with China.
Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly since 2018, when Canada arrested an executive of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei at the request of the United States. Two Canadians were subsequently arrested in China, in what was widely seen as retaliation by Beijing. All three have since been released.
According to national security expert and former senior Canadian intelligence official Michel Juneau-Katsuya, Canada is now “at a crossroads.”
“We have become so naive about national security issues that we border on stupidity,” he says. “Now it’s catching up with us.”
The man who notably headed the Asia-Pacific office of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the 1990s claims that India’s interference goes back several decades.
Earlier this month, Ottawa finally formally launched a public inquiry into foreign interference, particularly from China, after months of controversy and delays.
“Canada was a polite, friendly student. We didn’t speak loudly, we didn’t bang on the table, we didn’t slam the doors,” explains Mr. Juneau-Katsuya. He believes that some countries have taken advantage of this attitude.
The former CSIS officer believes that inaction by governments of all parties has led to a significant deterioration in relations with New Delhi.
He believes there is a need for a collective awareness of these issues that are shaking Canadian diplomacy. “It really undermines our democracies,” believes the expert.