Justin Trudeau’s NSA accuses India of meddling in Canada’s internal affairs

Canada’s National Security Advisor (NSA) has accused India of meddling in the country’s affairs, putting the world’s biggest democracy in the league of authoritative nations such as Russia, China and Iran.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s NSA Jody Thomas on Friday said, “When I talk about foreign interference and economic security, I’m now talking about a number of state actors and non-state proxies.”

“This includes Russia, Iran, India. That said, the actor that comes up most on these issues, and it’s no surprise to anybody, is China,” she added.

'India-Canada ties to take a hit'

University of British Columbia professor Vina Nadjibulla was quoted by Toronto Sun as saying that the recent allegations levelled by the Canadian NSA could pose a serious challenge to the Indo-Canadian ties. Noting that the allegations were "striking", Nadjibulla said, “That obviously has to do with our diaspora communities and the politics there.”

“The relationship we have diplomatically with India is improving rapidly, but I think we would be kidding ourselves if we were not to acknowledge some of the diaspora politics and local issues here in Canada, which will have a significant impact,” she further said.

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Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) led by Jagmeet Singh, who is known for his pro-Khalistan comments, has long accused India of interfering in Canadian affairs. He has even advised Ottawa to downgrade diplomatic relations with India over so-called human rights concerns.

In March this year, Jagmeet Singh was condemned on social media for trying to meddle in India’s internal affairs after he raised “concerns” over India’s actions against Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh.

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The Canadian politician tweeted, “These draconian measures are unsettling for many given their historical use to execute extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during the 1984 Sikh Genocide."

Trudeau also accused of meddling in India’s affairs

Earlier in 2020, the Indian government had accused the Justin Trudeau administration of wading into India’s internal matters after it passed remarks on India’s farmers’ protest. The Canadian PM backed the farmers' protest in India while stating that Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protests.

India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh then took strong objection to Trudeau’s comments and said, “India is not any other country that someone can say anything."

“First of all, I would like to say about the prime minister of any country that comment should not be made about India's internal affairs. India does not require any outside interference. We will sort out issues by ourselves. It is an internal matter of India. No country in the world has the right to comment on India's internal affairs," Singh added.

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