By Group Captain Praveer Purohit (retd)
Barely had the dust settled over a successful G-20 summit, a controversy arose that put India-Canada relations under stress. While under-currents of divergence in the relations due to activities by pro-Khalistani groups have been prevalent for a few years now, the two countries continued their engagement and cooperation in many other areas such talks for a free trade agreement (now paused), tourism, nuclear cooperation, and education.
Indo-Canada nuclear cooperation began within a decade of our independence. In 1955, Canada agreed to build a 40MW research reactor for India, known as the CIRUS (Canada-India Reactor, US). Canada supplied half the initial uranium fuel for the reactor and the United States supplied the other half, plus heavy water to moderate the nuclear reactions. Canada signed two cooperation agreements that provided India with designs for the CANDU-type reactor. Thus, India’s quest for nuclear technology began well. However, India’s Peaceful Nuclear Explosion (PNE) in 1974 did not go well with Canada and it slapped sanctions. After a long hiatus of 36 years, India and Canada signed a landmark civil nuclear deal in June 2010, that came into force in September 2013. The agreement enabled India to import Canadian atomic equipment and technology and secure uranium. At the same time, it provided Canadian nuclear industry access to the potentially expanding Indian nuclear market.
Canada has been consistently ranking in the top five countries in Foreign Tourist Arrivals into India. From 335439 tourists in 2017, the number climbed to 351859 in 2019 before COVID caused widespread disruption. In 2022, Canadian tourists comprised the fifth highest foreign tourists coming to India. Canada is also a favoured destination for Indian students. There were 1,71,505 Indian students in Canada in 2018. This figure increased to 2,18,540 in 2019. As per official Canadian government data, Indian students numbered 3,19,000 in 2022 (41 percent of the total foreign students in Canada). The first half of 2023, saw Canada welcoming 4,34,899 international students, of which 1,75,021 (around 40 per cent) were from India. Canada is also home to the world’s largest Sikh population outside India, who number nearly 770,000 or 2.1 percent of the country’s population.
Being a Pacific nation and in recognition of the growing geo-political salience of Indo-Pacific, Canada also released its Indo-Pacific strategy in 2022. The strategy calls China an increasingly disruptive global power that seeks to undermine Canadian interests. It criticizes China’s human rights record in Xinjiang and China’s blatant disregard for UN institutions and pursuance of unfair trade practices. With India, the strategy seeks greater economic cooperation, people-to-people ties, accelerated cooperation in the fight against climate change, environmental protection, and adoption of green technologies. Importantly, Canada acknowledges India’s strategic importance, both regionally and globally. Even amidst the present row, India and Canada have held ministerial level talks on critical minerals. Thus, there appears to be considerable convergence between India and Canada on the Chinese challenge.
Yet, despite many convergences, the relationship has encountered turbulence. India is justified in its exasperation at Canadian inaction on an issue of great sensitivity to India- that of terrorist activities against India. Since long, India has been flagging this issue at the highest levels. During his visit to Canada in 2010, then PM, Mr Manmohan Singh had made it clear to his Canadian counterpart as well as Sikhs in Canada that Canadian soil should not be allowed to be used for promoting extremism against India and hoped the government of Canada was “alive to what is happening”. The present Indian PM has also flagged this issue and yet there appeared to be growing tolerance of anti-India activity. Shockingly, facts have emerged that many of the pro-Khalistani Sikhs entered Canada illegally or on fake passports.
Canada has been open to immigrants and that shows its strength as well as openness of its society. Both are praiseworthy. However, in mixing free speech with hate speech, in confusing freedom with secession, and prioritizing short-term political gains over long-term internal stability and external cooperation, the present Canadian government is missing the forest for the trees. Canada may well be reminded that pro-Khalistani elements were responsible for the brutal assassination of Mrs Indira Gandhi, then a sitting Indian PM. This is a very sensitive issue for us in India. Besides, the Khalistanis have consistently displayed a savage, bestial and rouge behaviour by targeting innocent Indian citizens. One hopes that the Canadian leadership is aware that their policy of appeasing pro-Khalistani elements could come to bite them with serious repercussions because these elements have started threatening the very foundations of Canadian society and way of life. The Khalistani activities and Chinese acts of interference in Canadian internal affairs, including efforts to threaten its social fabric is the real danger to Canadian citizens.
Going forward, both countries should take steps to ensure the diplomatic spat is not allowed to go into a free-fall. The stakes are too high to let that happen, especially when both are confronted with various dimensions of the Chinese challenge. Sikh community, business, and political leaders in Canada ought to educate their people that the fair name of the community is being tarnished by a few and come out unequivocally against the Khalistani elements. Acts of violence, crimes, and bigotry that are being perpetuated under the cause of Khalistan should neither be tolerated by Sikhs in Canada nor Canadian society. A mass denouncement by them will send a clear message to both, the pro-Khalistanis and politicians. When Canadian citizens themselves rise as one voice against Khalistani activities on their soil, their government will be forced to act. Ottawa ought to know the words of Haile Selassie, one of Ethiopia’s most famous leaders who said, “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” The idea of Khalistan, its sponsors and supporters are the “evil” in this case. To paraphrase Sherlock Holmes, “Its elementary, Mr Trudeau”.
The author is a former IAF officer.
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