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There has been a major diplomatic dispute between Canada and India since September 2023, arising from Canada's allegations that India played a role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in June 2023. Tensions have been fueled by disagreements over the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement and its supporters. In 2023, both countries expelled members of each other's diplomatic staff and advised their citizens against traveling to the other; Canada closed three consulates in India. In October 2024, Canada expelled Sanjay Kumar Verma, the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, along with five other diplomats. India retaliated with six expulsions of its own.

Background

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Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India. In March 2023, Canada's High Commissioner was summoned by India to "convey strong concern" over Sikh protesters in Canada and the security breach of India's diplomatic mission and consulates. The tensions between the countries were fueled by disagreements over the separatist Khalistan movement and its active supporters. In September 2023, during the G20 summit in New Delhi, Canada and India did not have a one-on-one meeting but instead met on the sidelines. While the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed concerns about the protests in Canada.

Assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar

In June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated in Canada. On 18 September 2023, in an address in the House of Commons, Trudeau informed that the Canadian security agencies were actively pursuing allegations of potential involvement of Government of India in the killing of Nijjar. He stated that he had presented the accusations directly to Modi during the G20 summit in New Delhi and that Canada would not accept any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil while urging the Indian government to cooperate in the ongoing investigation. India rejected Trudeau's allegations stating that the claims are "absurd and motivated", which had been conveyed by Modi to Trudeau earlier. It also stated that such allegations were a ploy to shift the focus from the Khalistani terrorists operating from Canada, who threaten India's sovereignty and urged Canada to take action against them.

This led to a prolonged diplomatic stand-off between the countries. Canada paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India and announced the postponement of an October trade mission to India. Both the countries expelled diplomatic staff, claiming interference in the other's internal affairs. On 20 September 2023, India warned its citizens against traveling to Canada due to "growing anti-India activities" and Canadian minister Dominic LeBlanc responded saying "Canada is a safe country". On 21 September 2023, India announced the temporary suspension of issuance of visas for all Canadian nationals due to "security threats" against its diplomats. On 24 September 2023, Canada updated its travel advisory for India, advising its citizens there to "exercise caution" due to "negative sentiment towards Canada". The Indian government claimed that Canada has not provided any evidence linking the Indian government to Nijjar's death. Canada has contended that it was provided intelligence on the same by US intelligence agencies. Concerns were voiced within Canada with members such as the Premier of British Columbia David Eby voicing out suspicion that the federal government is holding back information. Balraj Singh, son of Hardeep Nijjar, said his father had been meeting with Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers before the murder and according to a report by The Economic Times, Nijjar was suspected to be an asset for Canadian security services.

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, India's Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar raised concern over the incidents of threats to Indian diplomats and attacks on Indian consulates, stating that these are very permissive because of political reasons. He assured that the Indian side will take action if the Canadian side provides specific information in connection with Nijjar's killing. There were further statements by leaders of the Khalistan movement threatening Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave Canada. The Indian government also instructed its investigative agencies to identify all Khalistan supporters in Canada, and canceled their Overseas Citizenship of India card to prevent them from entering India, in addition to confiscating their assets in India. In early October, India asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its 62 diplomats from the country and threatened to revoke the diplomatic immunity of diplomats who would remain after a certain date. Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly announced that Canada will temporarily close three consulates in India and there would be delays in processing of visas.

Leaders of various nations released statements expressing concern on the stand-off. According to Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center, "this may be the lowest level to which this relationship has sunk. It won't be easy to return to the old normal anytime soon". In November 2023, at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, India availed the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights records of Canada to request Canada to “prevent misuse of freedom of expression for inciting violence and disallow activities of groups which are promoting extremism”.

2024 expulsions

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In April 2024, the Canadian deputy high commissioner was summoned by India after separatist slogans supporting a Sikh homeland were allegedly raised at a Vaisakhi event addressed by Prime Minister Trudeau. In June 2024, Modi and Trudeau met briefly at the G7 summit in Italy, signaling a resumption of dialogue and a reduction in diplomatic tensions. International relations experts have called for Canada and India to find a way forward in their relations due to their engagement in a broad range of geopolitical issues and India's importance for the United States and Canada in their Indo-Pacific strategy.

In September 2024, RRM Canada examined a number of Indian media outlets and named organisations such as Asian News International (ANI), WION, Aaj Tak, and journalists like Smita Prakash, Palki Sharma, and Anand Ranganathan and noted their potential influence on Canadian public opinion in order to promote narratives related to Justin Trudeau, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and Canada–India relations. The report added the emergence of these activities since the Canadian government has accused Indian involvement in the murder of Nijjar.

On 12 October 2024, Canadian officials informed Ajit Doval, India's National Security Advisor, that the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, and five other diplomats were persons of interest in the Nijjar murder and asked for their diplomatic and consular immunity to be removed so as to cooperate in the investigation. Canadian minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said that India did not agree to this, and the diplomats were served with notices of expulsion. India released a conflicting statement saying that it had instead already withdrawn the diplomats out of safety concerns, but later announced a tit-for-tat expulsion of six Canadian diplomats. After Verma's expulsion, he alleged in an interview on CTV News that "some of these Khalistani extremists and terrorists are deep assets of CSIS", but explicitly told the interviewer, Vassy Kapelos, "I'm not giving you any evidence on that".

Canadian officials said they had evidence of the involvement of the Indian government in various home invasions, drive-by shootings, arson and two homicides, those of Nijjar and of Sukhdool Singh, shot in Winnipeg on 20 September 2023. They said that Indian diplomats intimidated and coerced Canadians, who were seeking immigration documents and/or had family ties in India, to gather intelligence for the Indian Intelligence agency RAW and to surveil targets, who were then attacked by a gang led by Lawrence Bishnoi. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they had arrested several people in connection with the case, some of whom they alleged to have had links to the Government of India. They also said to have alerted twelve Canadian residents of Indian descent based on credible evidence that they could be targeted by Indian agents and encouraged people with information to come forward to help with the investigation.

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