India-Canada relations with special guest Suhasini Haider

October 25, 2024·38 min·3 clips

Haider points out India's external intelligence agencies have no parliamentary oversight and function directly under the Prime Minister's office with no act of Parliament behind them.

The rupture begins with an allegation. In October 2024, Canada's Foreign Minister announced the expulsion of six Indian diplomats, including the Indian High Commissioner, citing India's alleged role in a killing on Canadian soil and a failure to cooperate with investigators. India denied the charge. The host sets the crisis against the public breakdown that followed Hardeep Singh Nidjar being shot dead in his car in June 2023. Visas were briefly suspended. Diplomats were expelled on both sides. India accused Canada of harbouring and nurturing Khalistani activists, while Canada stood by its allegation. Suhasini Haider gives the longer backstory. She says the Modi government's view of parts of the Indian diaspora had already hardened, especially after protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Diaspora gatherings that once looked broadly supportive of the prime minister began to show public dissent, including from people in the Sikh community and some separatist Khalistani groups. The distinction matters here: not every non-resident member of a community belongs to the Khalistani movement. The farmers' protest made the split worse. Haider recalls the government's tough stance, accusations that protesters were terrorists, references to Khalistani elements, and her estimate that 700 to 800 farmers died during the protests. Justin Trudeau's comments on India's handling of the protests were treated as gross overreach. Haider also argues the response had a domestic audience, and the public back-and-forth helped grievances build. Her practical view: India should deal with Canada, the United States, and other close partners country by country, and reassure them where doubts remain.

As heard by us

A measured account of the India-Canada rupture and the domestic politics behind it.

This episode treats India-Canada relations as a political story first, and a diplomatic one second. The killing of Hardeep Singh Nidjar, the expulsions, the Khalistan question, and the pressure on both governments all stay in frame.

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You want the India-Canada rupture explained without the usual shouting.

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