The story so far:

Recently, Canada and India each expelled their top diplomats due to the fallout from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation last year that there were possible links of Indian intelligence with the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada. India had categorised Nijjar as a Khalistani terrorist (he had faced no criminal charges in Canada, but was put on a no-fly list and his bank accounts were frozen). The row seems to be escalating Canadian Hindu-Sikh tensions.

Is there a historical context?

India’s long-held complaint has been that Canada acts as a safe haven for Khalistani separatists/extremists. Its biggest grouse has been Canada’s failure in preventing the 1985 Air India bombing (perpetrated by Canada-based Khalistani extremists) and the lack of support in subsequent investigations.

The bombing killed 329 people (including children), the biggest airline terrorist act before 9/11.

Is there a Sikh ‘vote bank’ in Canada?

Vote bank is an Indian terminology unfamiliar to Canadians. Sikhs constitute only 2% of Canada’s population but their political clout is far disproportionate because of geographic concentration. At one point, there were four Sikh ministers in the Trudeau cabinet. Most of the Sikh MPs are from Trudeau’s Liberal Party. However, there is no public evidence to state that the only motive for the Trudeau government to lay these accusations against India is to pander to Sikh voters (of whom Khalistanis are only a minority).

What we have as ‘evidence’ is the Trudeau government dropping the words Sikh and Khalistani from a government report which identified, for the first time, Khalistani extremism amongst the top five terrorism threats in Canada; the Canadian parliament marking Nijjar’s killing by holding a moment of silence; Mr. Trudeau and other party leaders attending Sikh community festivals which featured Khalistan flags and the glorification of Talwinder Parmar, the Air India bombing mastermind; and also drawing support from known Khalistani sympathisers. But all parties, not just the Liberal Party, have indulged in these kinds of acts. While Mr. Trudeau and his government have affirmed the territorial integrity of India, they have not explicitly condemned Khalistani extremism. But this ‘vote bank’ is not as India perceives it. In surveys, 54% of Sikhs in Canada intend to vote for the Conservative Party and 21% for Trudeau’s party in the next elections.

The Trudeau government has already been pilloried about its failures in countering Chinese interference in Canadian elections. A public inquiry into foreign interference has currently been instituted by the Canadian government. Therefore, an accusation such as this could bolster its weak image.

But the Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, which exposed Chinese interference and was about to publish the allegations regarding India last year (before Mr. Trudeau went public with it), and other news outlets, have criticised Mr. Trudeau only for using a serious national security issue for political grandstanding, rather than manufacturing the case to pander to Sikh voters as India alleges.

Editorial |Canadian frostbite: On the India-Canada diplomatic war

Are there political and cultural misunderstandings?

There are misunderstandings on both sides. Canadian scholars have argued that despite the fact that a vast majority of the victims of the Air India bombing were Canadian citizens (of Indian descent), the Canadian government, for a long time, had seen it as a “foreign tragedy” and the victims as not “real Canadians”, clearly betraying systemic racism. Both Conservative and Liberal governments treated the victims shoddily until an official apology was issued by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2010. This racial prejudice is also emphasised by the fact that despite it being Canada’s worst terrorist act, 90% Canadians had little or no knowledge of it, and more than 50% under the age of 35 had never even heard of it. Further, as no Khalistani terrorist act has been perpetrated in Canada since then, the public is unaffected, and ignorant of Khalistani activism.

The Indian public, conversely, assumes that institutions work the same as in India. The rule of law is enforced in a more systematic manner in Canada than in India. Canadian police independence is guarded, and whenever there were attempts by politicians to interfere illegally, there has been a huge public outcry. Ujjal Dosanjh, a former Liberal cabinet minister, who himself was subject to life-threatening attacks by Khalistani extremists, has argued that while Canadian politicians have allowed Khalistani ideas to flourish, the law enforcement has not been soft on Khalistani terrorism. While the Air India investigations failed to a large extent, the evidence on hand does not suggest, as believed in India, that they were politically motivated to support the Khalistani extremists. The public inquiry that went into the Air India bombing, instead, was scathing about the security and investigation failures and termed them: “inconceivable, incomprehensible, indefensible, incompetence.”

Additionally, India is angry that Khalistan referendums are held in Canada and that Khalistani parades glorify the assassination of Indira Gandhi. However, freedom of speech and expression is a much guarded value in Canada and there is a high threshold on what constitutes as hate speech that can be prosecuted. Referendums and non-violent separatism advocacy are legal in Canada, and referendums have been held to seek the separation of Quebec from Canada. Burning the Canadian flag or the Bible in themselves are not criminal.

However, Canadian critics have argued for stronger legal vigilance around Khalistani hate speech especially when threats are issued.

What are the legal complexities?

India’s extradition requests, for those who it terms as Khalistani terrorists, are very often denied not due to political reasons but because they do not meet Canadian legal standards. Western democracies are wary of extraditions to countries with much poorer human rights records, where political dissenters and opponents are jailed for prolonged periods without criminal culpability, and without trial and bail, especially under anti-terror laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Other reasons include the weakness of evidence solely relying on statements from the accused in custody, and (as journalist Praveen Swami has noted) the inadmissibility of Indian intelligence evidence in courts abroad as it is not gathered under the Indian Telegraph Act and the Information Technology Act. Only six wanted individuals have been extradited to India from Canada from 2002-2020 (this number is 10 for the U.S, and just one for the U.K.).

Notably, India has not managed to secure the extraditions of Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya (the last three from the U.K. with which India has friendly relations).

What role has the media played?

The Canadian media has asked some tough questions of the government and presented India’s version about the dangers of Khalistani diaspora politics. Conversely, the TV media in India, while rightly questioning Western hypocrisy on some matters, has substituted journalism with jingoism, and uncritically pushed the government’s narrative. It has spread disinformation that nobody was convicted for the Air India bombings (Inderjit Singh Reyat, the bomb-maker, spent nearly 30 years in jail); that Mr. Trudeau “admitted” that there was no evidence for his accusations, etc.

Parallely, the Globe and Mail (and other newspapers) which had asked Mr. Trudeau to provide more facts on his allegations last year, is presently attacking him for being soft on the “overtly hostile” actions of the Indian government, and for “curiously unwilling to acknowledge that India is, if not an enemy quite yet, certainly an adversary.” The reason is that this time around, the revelations are from the Canadian police and are not just “credible allegations” but “strong evidence.” It remains to be seen if it passes muster in the courts.

Nissim Mannathukkaren is Professor, International Development Studies, Dalhousie University, Canada

New Delhi:

Speaking exclusively to NDTV on Friday, leading educational consultant Viral Doshi said that despite the apprehensions following the India-Canada diplomatic row, Canada will remain a preferred destination for Indian students. He said employment opportunities in the country are also unlikely to be affected.

In a freewheeling discussion, Mr Doshi also spoke about the UK emerging as a top destination for Indian students and how he has been telling students to come back and work in India, which is a “happening place” today. 

Given the current India-Canada face-off and the diplomatic spat, will going to Canada for higher studies be difficult for Indian students? 

We need to put things in perspective. If you look at Canada, over the years, you have seen an exponential increase in the number of students applying to Canada. Why is that? 1) It is a very friendly nation. They welcome you with open arms. 2) There are lots of facilities for research and extracurricular activities. 3) Job opportunities are tremendous; and the fourth attraction is to get that permanent residence to settle down in Canada. As a result, Canada has become a very popular destination in the last 10 years.

But, lately, because of the political fallout, a lot of people have been asking me what is going to happen in Canada? I still believe it’s a hiccup. I think things will improve. If I talk to students at the ground level in Canada, they are extremely happy. The political fallout has not impacted them at all. I think we read more about it in our papers out here, so we feel that the impact is there.

But, answering your question, as students are now getting ready to apply for next year, there is a bit of apprehension. Parents and students both are concerned about what will happen – will the visa come on time, will we get there, will our children be welcomed out there, will we get a job after that or not? These are apprehensions. I think, in spite of all these apprehensions, people are still applying. There may be a slight drop in applications, but people are still applying because Canada is a very favoured destination.

So what they are going to do is they are going to apply. There may be a small drop, but they will  have a wait-and watch attitude. And, sometime by May-June, when the decisions come out and they see what the political scenario is, I think then they will take this issue. But I don’t see a major drop in applications to Canada at all. I think, on the contrary, people will still apply to Canada, and I think who we must give credit to are the Canadian universities. The admission directors have really reached out to students and parents, both through emails and seminars, and made them very comfortable. (They have said) “Look here, this is a hiccup. It’s not impacting college life at all. So please do apply”. 

I think parents eventually want an assurance. That assurance is coming from the Canadian colleges. So I really, honestly, don’t feel it’s going to be too much of a change, believe me. But yes, people will talk about it in the cocktail circuit – What should we do? What we shouldn’t do. But, eventually, when it comes to applications, people will still apply but have a wait-and-watch attitude and see whether the visas are coming on time. If they do get the visas, they will definitely be going.

But, if not Canada, then where else for Indian students? We know the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia are popular choices. But do you see students branching out beyond these options to, let’s say, Europe and other countries?

If you look at overseas education, I would say between USA, Canada and UK, they must be taking 90% of students who are going overseas today, and the balance 10% would have gone to Australia, maybe to Europe, to Singapore, to Hong Kong, to Dubai. But still, I believe, things are not going to change so rapidly that people will be looking at other countries. 

But yes, people are looking at other countries. To some extent, Europe is getting a little more popular right now because of the cost. (It’s) Very friendly. But Europe has its disadvantages of being a little more insular. In colleges you study in English, but outside it’s in a foreign language. The networking in European colleges has become a bit of a challenge because, again, it’s populated with the local population out there. That does become a challenge. And eventually, when you go to college, you also go for the networking, isn’t it? You also go for the whole atmosphere out there. This is sometimes a bit of a challenge in the European colleges.

But in Europe, Netherlands is becoming quite popular. France is also getting out there. Germany, for people who want to do technical education, is looking quite popular. But it’s not really exponentially increased (like) what you see in other countries. Today, when you tell me you want to go overseas… As I said, 90% will go to USA, Canada and UK. And if students will not go to Canada, they will look at UK as a very serious option for two reasons – in UK the cost is as much as Canada, it’s not as expensive as America; you finish in three years and the job placements in UK are fabulous now. I think the whole scenario has changed with the new visa regime. So UK is going to become a very strong destination. 

USA will increase, but education in the USA is very expensive in the private colleges. But there will be an increase in US admissions also. People are going to play safe now. They will apply to Canada. They will also apply to colleges in the USA and UK and a few of them will also apply to colleges in Singapore. 

Singapore is a good destination to go to, but the challenge in Singapore is you have limited colleges. You’ve got SMU (Singapore Management University), NUS (National University of Singapore) and NTU (Nanyang Technological University). So not too many choices out there. 

So Europe does become a destination. But, when I say Europe, actually it’s going to be more of UK. UK will definitely see a substantial increase in applicants applying out there. Because of the  positive impact of the visa regime out there, more and more people have been looking at UK over the last five years, which was not the case before the new visa regime set in. So I don’t think new countries… they will see an upsurge, but not as substantial as the UK will see and Canada will see. But, believe me, Canada will not have a drop in applications. It’ll be a wait-and watch review and take a decision by next June, July. 

For students already in Canada, what’s next? You have already mentioned that this diplomatic row has not penetrated classrooms, thankfully. Is it going to be difficult for Indians to get jobs in Canada? 

Honestly, this is something that we feel, in our minds, that this is going to impact us. I think that Canadians have not taken this… I don’t think the political situation has impacted recruitment out there because they all know the Indian students are hardworking. Academically they have been very strong, so they do become an attraction for every company. So, I honestly don’t believe this political fallout will impact employment at all. And, I don’t think companies even go down to that level to say “oh, because of this fallout we will not take you”. 

I think Canadians are very magnanimous. If you look at… just remove the political fallout, I think students will always be welcomed out there. They will be very happy out there. I don’t think the job placements will be impacted. It’s all in our minds right now. I think as things settle down, people will see that, really, it does not impact employment at all. It will not impact employment.  Because Canadians are very fair.

If you go to Canada, you will see how fair they are, how welcoming they are. Even today, I had somebody visiting Canada who said it’s just normal. Nothing has happened. Nothing has changed in the ground reality. 

Further clearing the air around the ground reality in Canada, should students in Canada apply elsewhere for jobs after they finish their studies? 

The question is where? You require visas to study in any country, isn’t it? So you are not going to get a visa to USA or to the UK to go and work out there. Honestly, I’ve been telling students for the last year or two to come back to India. You can’t get a better place than India. Why should they work anywhere else? India is a happening place today. This is a place for students to come back to. And if you really want to go back to Canada, maybe work for a year or two out here and go back for your post-graduate degree there. 

Hopefully, by then, the situation will be much better, I’m sure. And you’ll get the job that you want, eventually, out there. So I don’t think there should be a knee-jerk reaction. Jobs will be good out there. And, if they don’t, come back to India, young people, this is where the action is for the next 10-15 years. 

So do you think employers often look favourably at candidates who have completed their education at prestigious institutions abroad? 

Not at all. I think Indian colleges have come of age. Look at the marvellous colleges that we have in this country. From Ashoka… to NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies). They’re fabulous. And IIMs and IITs. So, if you ask any recruiter in this country, given a choice… if you have two students, one with an overseas education and one from India, they will always prefer the Indian one. Why? They are more adaptable. They are more malleable and they are able to fit into the whole working system out here. 

So that’s why when students go abroad, I tell them go there for the education. Don’t think you’ll have any distinct advantage when you come back to this country. Yes, you’ll have a good education, but you’ll be on a par with any other student who has gone to a good Indian university. 

So the advantage of going abroad which was there maybe 20 years ago, I think with the coming of age of our education system, I think they will be on a par or… to some extent, slight 55-45 preference to Indian students. Talk to recruiters, they will tell you the same thing, they will prefer a student from here than one who has gone overseas. But going overseas is not necessary to have an advantage out here. It’s for the education, the overall holistic education that you get when you go overseas. 

Well, Mr Doshi, your parting short for all those students who may be interested in or prepping their college applications to study abroad this year? 

I would say keep your doors open. Don’t restrict yourself to one particular country. Let’s see how things evolve. Canada will not change. It will be the same as it was before. Please apply everywhere. Keep your doors open and take a call sometime in April-May next year, when the situation, hopefully, will improve and you get all the results coming in.