By Sanjeev Kumar Patro
Bhubaneswar: From supporting plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir in 1948 to open support for the Khalistani groups in 2024, India-Canada’s relationship has been a thorny affair. The Canadian stand against India’s first nuclear test in 1974 and the Operation Blue Star in 1984 had been the other irritants in bilateral relations.
For which, no Indian PM had paid a bilateral visit to the country after 1973 to till the year 2015. PM Manmohan Singh had paid a visit to Toronto in 2010 to take part in G-20 summit, not a bilateral visit. The turnaround happened in year 2015, when PM Narendra Modi paid a bilateral visit to Canada, a first after 42 years. The bilateral relationship witnessed a spring tide.
Rewind to year 2018. Justin Trudeau led government’s Ministry of Public Safety released a report titled ‘Public Report on the Terrorist Threat to Canada’. The report has explicitly identified Sikh extremism as a security threat to Canada. Nonetheless, the Trudeau administration buckling under the pressure from the Sikh community revised the report and published it sans the term ‘Sikh Extremism.’
But the Liberal Party PM Justin Trudeau had effected the biggest turnaround to worse in only a span of six years. The expulsion of envoys marked a new low in the thorny relationship between the tow countries.
CANADA’S PAKISTAN ACT
Just as Pakistan is sponsoring terrorists waging war against India in Kashmir and Punjab, Canada since 80s had been mollycoddling the Khalistani actors on its soil. Here are the latest thresholds.
- During Trudeau’s 2018 visit to India, the then Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh handed him a list of nine suspected terrorists who had found safe haven in Canada and were thought to be using their sanctuary to sponsor targeted killings of political and gang-related opponents in Punjab. India’s investigative agencies followed up with detailed dossiers but no response.
- Again in 2018, extremists in Canada put out posters with the photographs and names of the Indian High Commissioner in Canada, the ambassador to the US and other senior diplomats.
- They even took off a festive parade to present a float that eulogised the killers of former PM Indira Gandhi.
- But the Canadian police and security agencies did little to intercede.
HEADY WITH HARDEEP SINGH NIJJAR
The expelling of envoys by India and Canada on October 14 traces to the Hardeep Singh Nijjar assassination in 2023. So, who is Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Videos featuring Nijjar shows how he made claims taking responsibility for assassinating Mrs Gandhi, army chief Gen Arun Kumar Vaidya, Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, MP Lalit Maken, among others. This shows Nijjar has secessionist ideology and openly holding out anti India platform. For which, in 2020, India declared him a terrorist.
The Canada media describes him a preacher, activist, and a plumber by profession (owns plumbing business).
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said, the Canadian Police had gathered “ample, clear and concrete evidence that identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar killing case.“ And the nadir witnessed on Monday.
WHY TRUDEAU MOLLYCODDLING WITH KHALISTAN EXTREMISTS?
The Justin Trudeau government assumed power in Canada in 2015. Under Trudeau’s Liberal party government, pro-Khalistan sentiments have been strategically utilised for electoral purposes.
As per an IDSA paper authored by Research Analyst Abhishek Verma, following the 2015 general election, Trudeau's Liberal Party secured a majority with 184 Members of Parliament (MPs). The new Parliament had 18 Sikhs, four of which were cabinet members.
The research paper talked about how Prime Minister Trudeau's first term witnessed the implementation of specific populist measures aimed at mobilising Sikh community. As per the research paper, in 2017, the ruling Liberal Party in the Ontario Provincial Legislative Assembly passed a resolution characterizing the anti-Sikh riot of 1984 as an act of genocide.
And the IDSA paper traces this pampering to vote bank politics of the Justin Trudeau party. Observers see the rising up the ante against India on Nijjar killing issue in tandem with upcoming elections for the Canadian Parliament in October 2025.
CANADA ANOTHER PAKISTAN
The open sympathy of the Trudeau dispensation towards the Khalistan elements in tandem with the activities of Canadian born gangster Goldy Brar, who is indulged in drug trafficking, arms smuggling, gangs rivalry and running Hawala operations, from the safe haven of the country there show how for vote bank politics the Justin Trudeau dispensation is taking Canada the Pakistan way.
WILL JUSTIN TRUDEAU WIN 2025 ELECTIONS?
Even as the elections are to be held in October 2025, the poll surveys predict doomsday for the Trudeau led Liberal party in the coming elections. Here is a glance at what pollsters say.
- Survey conducted by Leger, who claims to have an accurate prediction in 2021 Federal Elections, Conservative party led by LOP Pierre Poilievre will wins hand down in the 2025 elections.
- The gap between Pierre Poilievre is widening. In Aug 2024, when Pierre was leading with 43%, Trudeau is trailing with 25%
WHO ‘S WINNING SIKH VOTES?
In Canada, three provinces namely Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta have sizeable Sikh population. Poll surveys disclose the following.
- As per CBC news poll tracker, over 46% voter favour Conservative Party of Canada in British Columbia. Only 19% will vote for Trudeau’s Liberal Party.
- The Conservatives poised for a clean sweep in Alberta as over 63% voters favour them.
- In Ontario too, Conservatives lead with 45.8%.
- This is not the one poll agency to show this result.
- Another Poll survey by Abacus predicts the same results.
- As per Abacus poll tracker, Conservative leader Pierre to get – 40% in British Columbia, Alberta – 45%, Ontario – 37%
The BOTTOMLINE is Justin Trudeau’s gamble in getting Sikh votes enbloc for his party in the upcoming elections seems unlikely to pay off.
