India threat against Canadian diplomats makes life ‘difficult’ for millions: Trudeau

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – New Delhi causing 41 Canadian diplomats to leave India has led to misery for millions of people with ties to India, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday.

“It…has very real impacts on the millions of people who travel back and forth between India, as students, as family members, for weddings, for businesses, for the growing trade ties between our countries,” Trudeau said. The expelling of diplomats is “making it unbelievably difficult (for) millions of Canadians who trace their origins to the Indian subcontinent.”

The diplomats had little choice but to get out as India said it would revoke their diplomatic immunity, so 41 diplomats and 42 dependents were pulled from the country this week.

Canada has a large Indian diaspora, with about 1.3 million of Indian heritage, according to the Government of Canada website. The number of Indians immigrating to Canada has more than tripled since 2013, to 118,095 in 2022, from 32,828, according to Forbes. And as of September, there were about 320,000 Indian students in Canada.

The prime minister’s words were borne out by 24-hour lineups at the BLS International Office in the city of Brampton near Toronto, even though the office is only open on weekday mornings. Brampton and area are home to hundreds of thousands of people of India heritage.

The BLS office is a service provider for the Indian government. Since India has stopped issuing visas for Canadians, those wanting to go to India must apply for an Overseas Citizens of India card, something not required previously.

There were about 277,000 visits to India from Canada in 2022, according to the Hindu Business Line website.

The expelling of Canadian diplomats and cessation of services by New Delhi is a result of Trudeau announcing publicly an allegation that the Indian government was involved in the assassination of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the province of British Columbia in June.