Expert believes Canada may be only at the start of a months-long diplomatic row with India, as allies await more information on accusations that New Delhi played a role in the death of a Canadian citizen.
Roland Paris, who heads the graduate school of international affairs at the University of Ottawa, believes that the two countries have made contradictory statements, making it difficult to find common ground.
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canadian intelligence services were investigating “a potential link” between the Indian government and the death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
India calls the allegations “absurd and motivated,” leading Trudeau to urge India to take the allegations seriously and cooperate with the police investigation.
Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat on Monday.
India then expelled a Canadian envoy, arguing that Canada was harboring extremists who wanted a separate country for Sikhs.
According to Mr. Paris, the diplomatic chill is only just beginning and it is unclear whether these tensions will improve or worsen as the investigation continues.
“We are only at the beginning of this period of diplomatic tension between the two countries,” he said in an interview.
“It will be difficult now that the Indian government has publicly backed down and categorically denied these allegations. »
Mr. Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Mr. Trudeau, noted that there were reports the government made the accusation public following questions from the media and rumors in diaspora communities.
A question of foreign interference
According to Mr. Paris, this whole affair highlights the importance of tackling foreign interference as a whole.
“It is important that Canada works closely with its allies to resist this type of pressure,” said Mr. Paris.
“But above all, we must be able to resist them at home. The world we live in is much more dangerous and we cannot rely on our allies as much as in the past. We really need to make sure that we’re protecting Canadians in this context. “.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre has asked Trudeau to share more information about the intelligence Ottawa has, and former Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau has also said the government should support this statement with more details.
Mr. Paris said it was unclear whether India would retaliate against Canada, such as by blocking trade or delaying visas, and that it was possible that Ottawa would take similar measures against India.
He noted, however, that India and Canada generally consider each other friends, despite long-standing tensions over Sikh separatists.
“I don’t expect things to move much unless more information comes to light,” Paris said.
“It seems like they really tried to work behind the scenes and use diplomacy to get results directly with the Indians and with the help of their close Canadian allies. It’s clear that it didn’t work in the end. »