'India and Canada have almost 200 years of shared history and migrations. This won't be the last of our partnership.'
Canada and India's relations have been severely affected by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegation that the Indian government had a role in the assassination of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, in June.
"It's disheartening because we try to be model citizens here," says a Canadian political observer of Indian ethnicity, speaking on request that she not be identified by name in this report. "We'd like to think that our ancestral land is regarded as an ally. I have faith we will recover, we are better together."
As dismayed as Sikhs in India where the Khalistan movement has no following, she adds, "In some pockets of this country (Canada) it is shockingly strong, but the support doesn't represent the majority. You must remember so many of us are second and third-generation Canadians."
Like in India, Sikhs in Canada too are a hardworking community and well-assimilated.
The Canadian parliament has a significant number of Sikhs and a member of the community until recently was defence minister.
Canada is home to the largest population of Sikhs outside India.
It is believed by some that Trudeau's government is soft on Sikh extremists because of its dependence on the diaspora for political support.
Ethnic Indians in Canada believe there is a great deal of misinformation on the subject which has been heightened by social media.
As for Trudeau openly accusing India of having masterminded the attack on Nijjar, it is felt that he allowed domestic politics to take precedence over diplomacy.
Was he under pressure from the coalition that supports him? Indians in Canada maintain, "The PM did what he thought sends out an emphatic message that Canada doesn't stand for targeted killings of our citizens."
Those who defend Trudeau's haste to make a statement after the Nijjar killing without waiting for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's investigation to conclude recount how the prime minister came in for flak when he was silent on the issue of China's involvement in Canadian politics and cut a sorry figure when the issue came out in the open.
Trudeau's statement indicting India was an effort to not make the same mistake and be caught on the back foot again.
Trudeau's government survives based on the support of other parties and he has been under mounting pressure from his allies as well as the Opposition.
His supporters felt he needed to be aggressive and prove a point to his critics.
Are Canadians convinced that India is behind the Nijjar killing? "Civilians are waiting for the RCMP investigation to be made public. A comment on this will only spark more division here. Both India and Canada are eager to be strong allies."
In the wake of fractured relations, there were severe restrictions for visa issuance to Canadian citizens by India, which have now been somewhat eased.
Canada also had to withdraw 41 diplomats from India along with their families, keeping the high commission in New Delhi operational with truncated staff.
Though tensions over Khalistan supporters have on and off troubled relations between India and Canada, people-to-people relations have forged strong bonds.
Today trade negotiations that were at an advanced stage have been postponed.
Bilateral trade was on an upward swing and expanded by 57% between 2021 and 2022.
What the future holds remains to be seen. Canada attracts more students from India than from any other country and tens of thousands of Indian tourists visit Canada each year.
Limited consular services will impact the issuance of visas and hurt the interests of citizens of both countries.
The road map ahead and re-building of relations between the two friendly countries temporarily estranged will perhaps be predicated on the RCMP report.
The ethnic Indian community believes, "India and Canada have almost 200 years of shared history and migrations. This won't be the last of our partnership, it can't be. Both Canadians and Indians will lose out."
"We trust the current and any subsequent Canadian government to make peace. One thing is certain whether you are an ethnic Indian in Canada or not, gun violence and targeted killings on Canadian soil will meet with very strong disapproval."
Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
