Canadian PM <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/may-impact-ties-india-summons-canadian-envoy-over-trudeaus-remark-on-farmers-protest-347461">Justin Trudeau</a> on Friday once again reiterated his stance on farmer protests in India amid worsening ties with New Delhi.

In response to a question, he said, "Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest anywhere around the world. We are pleased to see moves towards deescalation and dialogue".

Asked if he was worried about his comments damaging ties between India and Canada, he said, "Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest and human rights around the world".

Earlier this week Justin Trudeau had expressed "concerns" over the farmers' protests irking New Delhi.

India has strongly reacted to the remarks. In an unprecedented move, ministry of external affairs summoned Canada's envoy Nadir Patel and handed over a demarche as a consequence of the remarks.

The ministry of external affairs in a statement said remarks by the Canadian PM and Canadian cabinet members and members of Parliament "constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs" and "such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada."

Canada has a large number of members of the Indian diaspora, many from the northern Indian state of Punjab. It is not the first time, the Canadian PM has landed himself into trouble with Delhi.&nbsp;

In 2017, he was present at the Khalsa Day parade that draws extremist elements. In 2018, during his week-long India visit, convicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal's presence at a reception drew criticism.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Friday once again reiterated his stance on farmer protests in India amid worsening ties with New Delhi. In response to a question, he said, "Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest anywhere around the world.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Friday once again reiterated his stance on farmer protests in India amid worsening ties with New Delhi. In response to a question, he said, "Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest anywhere around the world. We are pleased to see moves towards deescalation and dialogue". Asked if he was worried about his comments damaging ties between India and Canada, he said, "Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest and human rights around the world". Earlier this week Justin Trudeau had expressed "concerns" over the farmers' protests irking New Delhi. India has strongly reacted to the remarks. In an unprecedented move, ministry of external affairs summoned Canada's envoy Nadir Patel and handed over a demarche as a consequence of the remarks. The ministry of external affairs in a statement said remarks by the Canadian PM and Canadian cabinet members and members of Parliament "constitute an unacceptable interference in our internal affairs" and "such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada." Canada has a large number of members of the Indian diaspora, many from the northern Indian state of Punjab. It is not the first time, the Canadian PM has landed himself into trouble with Delhi. In 2017, he was present at the Khalsa Day parade that draws extremist elements. In 2018, during his week-long India visit, convicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal's presence at a reception drew criticism.

Trudeau reiterates comments on farmer protests amid diplomatic row with India

Canadian Prime Minister&nbsp;Justin&nbsp;Trudeau's&nbsp;"ill-informed comments''&nbsp;relating to farmers in India have exposed his dual stance on&nbsp;Minimum Support Price (MSP).

The protests have also provoked a diplomatic spat between India and Canada&nbsp;which is home to a large Punjabi-origin diaspora.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trudeau-targets-india-to-pander-to-canadian-punjabi-votebank-346772" hreflang="en">Trudeau targets India to pander to Canadian-Punjabi votebank</a>

Canadian Prime Minister Justin&nbsp;Trudeau&nbsp;published a video message on Twitter in which he said the demonstrations were "concerning" and defended the right to peaceful protest.

"We've reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns," he added.

India's foreign ministry responded by hitting out at "ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India", without directly naming&nbsp;Trudeau.

Canada, which&nbsp;had once&nbsp;opposed India’s farm subsidies&nbsp;at the World Trade Organization (WTO), has backed&nbsp;Indian farmers' protests on&nbsp;Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Specifically, according to the complaint, India left out from its notification information on the total value of production of each of the five kinds of pulses and there were issues around the production quantities of the pulses used to calculate market price support as well as the exchange rate used.

Though willing to defend India’s protesting farmers, Canada&nbsp;has always been vocal at the WTO against India’s food subsidy programmes for its staple crops.

A Geneva-based trade official said Canada was&nbsp;“most vocal challengers” to India exceeding the permitted limit of its rice subsidy in 2018-19.

Canada had challenged India&nbsp;at WTO meetings&nbsp;when it sought to defend its agricultural programmes&nbsp;like the minimum support price (MSP) for staple crops such as rice, wheat and pulses.

Developed countries, including Canada, have been raising the issue of India’s food subsidies at WTO meetings for years. With the adoption of a peace clause in 2013, the pressure intensified.

In July this year, Canada, along with the US, Japan and the European Union had questioned India on exceeding the permitted limits on food subsidies given for rice production — also called de minimis levels under WTO norms — to farmers in 2018-19, official sources told ThePrint. The de minis level is determined as 10 per cent of the value of food production.

“In its responses, India reiterated its compliance with the WTO rules, particularly on the Agreement on Agriculture as well as the Bali Ministerial Decision. It maintained the marketing year 2018-2019 was the only year that it exceeded the de minimis support for rice, which explains why it didn’t notify the public stockholding programme for rice prior to that period,” said the trade official.

In order to continue offering food subsidies to the farmers, India had to invoke the peace clause.&nbsp;The peace clause gives protection to developing countries like India, which run public food stockholding, from being dragged into disputes in case they exceed their de minis level.

India, along with other developing countries like Brazil, China and South Africa, obtained a so-called "peace clause"&nbsp;in 2013 under the WTO during one of its ministerial meetings that were held in Bali, Indonesia.

In July, Canada had registered 25 questions to India with regard to its farm subsidy and also explained the impact such food subsidies will have on global agricultural trade.

Subsequently, in September, a slew of questions was posed to India by Canada and other developed nations&nbsp;regarding its “multiple agriculture policies and transparency issues arising from its new domestic support notifications”, said the above-quoted trade official.

From 2015-18, attempts were made by Canada and other developed nations to also question India’s food stocks programme.

In July 2019, several developed countries, including Canada, made&nbsp;an attempt to take India&nbsp;to the WTO dispute settlement body over the MSP issue.

Jayant Dasgupta, former ambassador of India to the WTO, said Canada has repeatedly questioned India’s farm policies.

“It is not in keeping with diplomatic protocol. Canada has questioned India’s farm policies time and again, along with others like the Americans and Australians. Canadians also act at the behest of their major trade partners at the WTO. But as far as their (Canada’s) trade interest goes, they are not large exporters of farm produce, like the Americans or Australians,” Jayant Dasgupta said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "ill-informed comments'' relating to farmers in India have exposed his dual stance on Minimum Support Price (MSP). The protests have also provoked a diplomatic spat between India and Canada which is home to a large Punjabi-origin diaspora.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "ill-informed comments'' relating to farmers in India have exposed his dual stance on Minimum Support Price (MSP). The protests have also provoked a diplomatic spat between India and Canada which is home to a large Punjabi-origin diaspora. Also read: Trudeau targets India to pander to Canadian-Punjabi votebank Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau published a video message on Twitter in which he said the demonstrations were "concerning" and defended the right to peaceful protest. "We've reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns," he added. India's foreign ministry responded by hitting out at "ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India", without directly naming Trudeau. Canada, which had once opposed India’s farm subsidies at the World Trade Organization (WTO), has backed Indian farmers' protests on Minimum Support Price (MSP). Specifically, according to the complaint, India left out from its notification information on the total value of production of each of the five kinds of pulses and there were issues around the production quantities of the pulses used to calculate market price support as well as the exchange rate used. Though willing to defend India’s protesting farmers, Canada has always been vocal at the WTO against India’s food subsidy programmes for its staple crops. A Geneva-based trade official said Canada was “most vocal challengers” to India exceeding the permitted limit of its rice subsidy in 2018-19. Canada had challenged India at WTO meetings when it sought to defend its agricultural programmes like the minimum support price (MSP) for staple crops such as rice, wheat and pulses. Developed countries, including Canada, have been raising the issue of India’s food subsidies at WTO meetings for years. With the adoption of a peace clause in 2013, the pressure intensified. In July this year, Canada, along with the US, Japan and the European Union had questioned India on exceeding the permitted limits on food subsidies given for rice production — also called de minimis levels under WTO norms — to farmers in 2018-19, official sources told ThePrint. The de minis level is determined as 10 per cent of the value of food production. “In its responses, India reiterated its compliance with the WTO rules, particularly on the Agreement on Agriculture as well as the Bali Ministerial Decision. It maintained the marketing year 2018-2019 was the only year that it exceeded the de minimis support for rice, which explains why it didn’t notify the public stockholding programme for rice prior to that period,” said the trade official. In order to continue offering food subsidies to the farmers, India had to invoke the peace clause. The peace clause gives protection to developing countries like India, which run public food stockholding, from being dragged into disputes in case they exceed their de minis level. India, along with other developing countries like Brazil, China and South Africa, obtained a so-called "peace clause" in 2013 under the WTO during one of its ministerial meetings that were held in Bali, Indonesia. In July, Canada had registered 25 questions to India with regard to its farm subsidy and also explained the impact such food subsidies will have on global agricultural trade. Subsequently, in September, a slew of questions was posed to India by Canada and other developed nations regarding its “multiple agriculture policies and transparency issues arising from its new domestic support notifications”, said the above-quoted trade official. From 2015-18, attempts were made by Canada and other developed nations to also question India’s food stocks programme. In July 2019, several developed countries, including Canada, made an attempt to take India to the WTO dispute settlement body over the MSP issue. Jayant Dasgupta, former ambassador of India to the WTO, said Canada has repeatedly questioned India’s farm policies. “It is not in keeping with diplomatic protocol. Canada has questioned India’s farm policies time and again, along with others like the Americans and Australians. Canadians also act at the behest of their major trade partners at the WTO. But as far as their (Canada’s) trade interest goes, they are not large exporters of farm produce, like the Americans or Australians,” Jayant Dasgupta said.

Canada's dual stance on Minimum Support Price exposed

Canadian Prime Minister Justin&nbsp;Trudeau's&nbsp;eight-day expedition to India in 2018 was&nbsp;an absolute political disaster.

The trip started off on a disappointing note, as the Trudeau delegation was received at the airport by a minister of state, not even a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet.

International and local observers speculated that Trudeau was being snubbed, given the cold shoulder, over unscrupulous ties with separatists and extremists.

After going to great lengths to convince Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh that his government did not associate with radicals, one such radical was part of his own entourage in India.

Hours before meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his journey hit a dead end when the Canadian high commissioner invited a Sikh extremist named Jaspal Atwal (who has been convicted of attempted murder and was previously affiliated with a terrorist group) to a dinner to honour Trudeau in Delhi.

Atwal was found guilty of trying to kill an Indian minister in 1986; he was also blamed for an assault on Ujjal Dosanjh, the former premier of British Columbia.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-slams-canadian-pm-justin-trudeaus-ill-informed-comments-on-farmer-protests-346668" hreflang="en">India slams Justin Trudeau's 'Ill-informed' comments on farmer protests</a>

By the time Atwal’s invitation was rescinded — Trudeau called it “unfortunate” — Atwal had already posed for photographs with Trudeau’s wife, Sophie, in Mumbai, as well as with other members of his entourage.

The Trudeau government’s explanation was further refuted when more photos surfaced of Atwal with Trudeau himself, one at a 2015 Liberal Party campaign event in Vancouver, and another that appears to have been taken before Trudeau became the leader of the Liberal Party.

Atwal is a longtime Liberal supporter and activist, he’s a former donor to the party and a former Liberal board member for the electoral district in Surrey, British Columbia.

Atwal is a longtime Liberal supporter and activist, he’s a former donor to the party and a former Liberal board member for the electoral district in Surrey, British Columbia. Atwal’s ties to the Liberals run deep, and there is no excuse for Trudeau’s continued relationship with a convicted criminal and former member of a terrorist organisation.

Trudeau’s time in India was criticised for its lack of official business, not to mention the excessive photo-ops and insensitive overuse of Indian clothing. To add insult to injury for Canadians, his taxpayer funded tour looked more like another lavish family vacation — including his own celebrity chef flown in from Vancouver than a diplomatic bilateral meeting.

However,&nbsp;these criticisms pale in comparison to serious catastrophe of not only associating with a convicted terrorist assassin, but bringing him to India alongside his official delegation.

India's ties with Canada remain frozen in time and&nbsp;Trudeau's latest statements on the farmer protests&nbsp;are unlikely to make things better.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's eight-day expedition to India in 2018 was an absolute political disaster. The trip started off on a disappointing note, as the Trudeau delegation was received at the airport by a minister of state, not even a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's eight-day expedition to India in 2018 was an absolute political disaster. The trip started off on a disappointing note, as the Trudeau delegation was received at the airport by a minister of state, not even a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet. International and local observers speculated that Trudeau was being snubbed, given the cold shoulder, over unscrupulous ties with separatists and extremists. After going to great lengths to convince Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh that his government did not associate with radicals, one such radical was part of his own entourage in India. Hours before meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his journey hit a dead end when the Canadian high commissioner invited a Sikh extremist named Jaspal Atwal (who has been convicted of attempted murder and was previously affiliated with a terrorist group) to a dinner to honour Trudeau in Delhi. Atwal was found guilty of trying to kill an Indian minister in 1986; he was also blamed for an assault on Ujjal Dosanjh, the former premier of British Columbia. Also read: India slams Justin Trudeau's 'Ill-informed' comments on farmer protests By the time Atwal’s invitation was rescinded — Trudeau called it “unfortunate” — Atwal had already posed for photographs with Trudeau’s wife, Sophie, in Mumbai, as well as with other members of his entourage. The Trudeau government’s explanation was further refuted when more photos surfaced of Atwal with Trudeau himself, one at a 2015 Liberal Party campaign event in Vancouver, and another that appears to have been taken before Trudeau became the leader of the Liberal Party. Atwal is a longtime Liberal supporter and activist, he’s a former donor to the party and a former Liberal board member for the electoral district in Surrey, British Columbia. Atwal is a longtime Liberal supporter and activist, he’s a former donor to the party and a former Liberal board member for the electoral district in Surrey, British Columbia. Atwal’s ties to the Liberals run deep, and there is no excuse for Trudeau’s continued relationship with a convicted criminal and former member of a terrorist organisation. Trudeau’s time in India was criticised for its lack of official business, not to mention the excessive photo-ops and insensitive overuse of Indian clothing. To add insult to injury for Canadians, his taxpayer funded tour looked more like another lavish family vacation — including his own celebrity chef flown in from Vancouver than a diplomatic bilateral meeting. However, these criticisms pale in comparison to serious catastrophe of not only associating with a convicted terrorist assassin, but bringing him to India alongside his official delegation. India's ties with Canada remain frozen in time and Trudeau's latest statements on the farmer protests are unlikely to make things better.

Why Justin Trudeau's trip to India in 2018 turned out to be a diplomatic fiasco