{"id":18297,"date":"2023-10-25T18:11:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T12:41:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/current_affairs\/?p=18297"},"modified":"2025-07-18T12:47:01","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T07:17:01","slug":"india-canada-bonding-that-is-in-danger-of-snapping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/editorial-analysis\/25-10-2023\/india-canada-bonding-that-is-in-danger-of-snapping","title":{"rendered":"India-Canada Bonding that is in Danger of Snapping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/ India &amp; Foreign Relations, International Organisations &amp; Groupings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">In Context<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The current state of Canada-India diplomatic relations has evoked a mountain of uncertainty for <strong>emigrants and prospective ones<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">India-Canada Bilateral Relations<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>About:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India<strong> established diplomatic relations with Canada in 1947<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prime Minister of India\u2019s visit to Canada in April 2015 elevated the<strong> bilateral relation to a strategic partnership.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In recent years, both countries have been working to enhance bilateral cooperation in a number of areas of mutual importance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bilateral Mechanisms:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Both sides pursue bilateral relations through dialogue mechanisms such as Ministerial-level- Strategic, Trade and Energy dialogues; Foreign Office Consultations; and other sector-specific <strong>joint working groups (JWG)<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Commercial relations:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations were formally re-launched in March 2022 and the two countries had been keen on completing the negotiations by 2023-end.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Nine rounds of talks had already taken place till July 2023, and negotiations on topics like goods, trade remedies and rules of origin were underway.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India was also Canada\u2019s ninth largest trading partner in 2022, with bilateral trade between them touching $8.16 billion in FY23.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Investments:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has been a key destination for Canadian investments from entities such as the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board and asset management firm Brookfield in sectors ranging from infrastructure to start-ups.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to Invest India, Canada is the 18th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of $3.3 billion between April 2000 and March 2023, representing 0.5 per cent of the total FDI inflows into India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Security and Defence:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India and Canada collaborate closely in international fora, particularly <strong>through the UN, Commonwealth and G-20<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defence ties have been expanding with mutual ship visits.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>There is<strong> robust cooperation on counter terrorism<\/strong> issues particularly through the&nbsp; framework of the JWG on Counter Terrorism.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Recent tensions between India &amp; Canada<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Canada\u2019s allegations of killing KTF Chief Nijjar:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tensions between the two countries escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that there were \u201ccredible allegations\u201d of the <strong>Indian government being behind the killing <\/strong>of Canadian citizen<strong> Hardeep Singh Nijjar<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Nijjar was the <strong>Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief <\/strong>and a <strong>designated terrorist in India<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pause on FTA talks:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After the Nijjar killing, Canada<strong> cancelled a trade delegation visit to Delhi<\/strong>, put FTA talks on pause and the $55 billion investment in India from Canadian Pension Funds may also be affected.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India\u2019s response:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While India has <strong>strongly denied the allegation<\/strong>, a full-blown diplomatic war has flared up between the two nations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India\u2019s Ministry of External Affairs pointed out that<strong> not just Nijjar<\/strong>, many people wanted for<strong> Khalistani separatist violence in India<\/strong> received<strong> \u201csafe haven\u201d in Canada,<\/strong> despite a number of representations by India for their extradition.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India\u2019s cancellation of visa services:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>India has also suspended visa services across Canada<\/strong>, and will not accept applications from Canadians at any other mission worldwide,&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Case of Indian Migrants &amp; immigrants in Canada<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>About:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is a<strong> prime origin country of immigrants to Canada<\/strong>, who have settled there as <strong>naturalised citizens<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most hold the <strong>Overseas Citizenship of India(OCI)<\/strong>, a life-time Indian visa or <strong>semi-dual-citizenship<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As well as<strong> permanent residents (PRs)<\/strong> who range from investors, industrialists and business people, the highly skilled \u201cknowledge professionals\u201d to low- and medium-skilled \u201cservice workers\u201d.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apart from the settled Indian diaspora, there are<strong> \u201ctemporary visitors\u201d<\/strong> who are international students, trainees, exchange scholars, tourists, and their families.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data of Canadian Government:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>According to the <strong>Census of Canada 2021<\/strong>, the country is home to over 1.86 million people of Indian origin, i.e., about 5% of the country\u2019s 36.99 million population, and 5.8% of the 32 million strong global Indian diaspora.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to <strong>Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data<\/strong>, 225,940 or over 40% of 549,260 total study permits to international students were issued to Indians in 2022.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Significance:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thus, most of these immigrants comprise <strong>a substantial share of India\u2019s human capital abroad<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Some of them even costing India much in terms of large-scale brain drain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Remittances <\/strong>to India are from mainly migrant workers in West Asia\/the Gulf countries. <strong>PRs and diaspora members <\/strong>in developed countries such as Canada are the source of investments in both countries.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Visitors from India comprised <strong>Canada\u2019s fourth-largest international air travel<\/strong> <strong>market<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Challenge ahead<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Affecting People to people ties:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s decision to suspend visas to Canadians <strong>could see reciprocal action by Canada <\/strong>that would affect hundreds of thousands awaiting their visas including students and professionals.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Travel ban:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Previously<\/strong>, In <strong>2022<\/strong>, Canada and India agreed to <strong>remove restrictions <\/strong>on the number of bilateral flights, which was previously limited to 35 per week.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Now<\/strong>, <strong>there is practically a travel ban <\/strong>with visa issuance withheld and\/or restricted on both sides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lowest Point between the countries:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Already, the cancellation of trade talks and visas means this is the lowest point in decades.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As in the past clashes between the two, political engagement was called off, and people-to-people ties had been allowed to continue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Need to protect &amp; empowering immigrants &amp; way ahead<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration Agreement:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Canada and India are not only members of the Commonwealth but also signatories to the <strong>Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration agreement<\/strong>, which was adopted at an intergovernmental conference on migration in Marrakesh, Morocco in December 2018.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Among the<strong> 23 objectives<\/strong> of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration <strong>aimed at making migration \u201csafe, orderly and regular\u201d worldwide<\/strong>, objective number 19 is noteworthy:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>To \u201ccreate <strong>conditions for migrants <\/strong>and <strong>diasporas <\/strong>to fully contribute to <strong>sustainable development in all countries\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Uncertainty for Indian immigrants:&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The present diplomatic tensions between the two governments seem to be undermining objective 19 of this Global Compact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has cast a shroud over migrants and the diaspora in terms of uncertainty about their own status in Canada and India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If the issue is not resolved soon, the strain in ties would irreparably erode the cherished values of trust, time and loyalty to the detriment of this Global Compact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Need of an unwavering commitment:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The driver for reinstating the willingness in both governments would be an <strong>unwavering commitment<\/strong> by each side to regain the values of <strong>trust, time and loyalty<\/strong> of their migrants and diaspora, and above all their citizens.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Daily Mains Question<\/strong><br><\/span><strong>[Q] <\/strong>Discuss the challenges faced by migrants and the diaspora in terms of uncertainty about their own status in Canada and India. Suggest ways to protect &amp; empower the immigrants.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/25_10_India-Canada-bonding-that-is-in-danger-of-snapping.pdf\">Download PDF<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Syllabus: GS2\/ India &amp; Foreign Relations, International Organisations &amp; Groupings In Context India-Canada Bilateral Relations Recent tensions between India &amp; Canada Case of Indian Migrants &amp; immigrants in Canada Challenge ahead Need to protect &amp; empowering immigrants &amp; way ahead Daily Mains Question[Q] Discuss the challenges faced by migrants and the diaspora in terms of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial-analysis"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18297"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18301,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18297\/revisions\/18301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}