Amidst a backdrop of escalating tensions with India, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a video message on Saturday, extending Diwali greetings and showcasing sacred threads he had received from various Hindu temples in recent months. The video, featuring Trudeau interacting with members of the Indian community, comes at a time when the relationship between Canada and India has reached a frosty low.
The tensions stem from a series of accusations made by Canada against the Indian government. Trudeau has alleged the existence of ‘credible evidence’ linking Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader killed in Canada. Canada went a step further on Tuesday, accusing Amit Shah, the Indian Home Minister and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of orchestrating plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.
These accusations have been met with furious rebuttals from India. On Saturday, India responded with strong criticism after Canada, for the first time, listed India as a cyberthreat adversary. Canada’s cybersecurity report asserted that ‘Indian state-sponsored cyber threat actors’ are likely engaged in espionage against Canadian government networks. This accusation was met with accusations from India, which labelled it as ‘another example’ of Canada’s strategy to ‘attack India.’
Furthermore, the report highlights the trend of ‘geopolitically inspired non-state actors creating unpredictability’, citing the example of a pro-India hacktivist group claiming to have defaced and attacked Canadian websites after India was accused of the Nijjar killing.
The Diwali video, while seemingly a gesture of cultural appreciation, underscores the complex and strained state of relations between Canada and India. The ongoing accusations of espionage and the alleged plots against Sikh separatists have significantly impacted bilateral ties. This situation raises concerns about the safety of the Indo-Canadian community, as well as the broader implications for national security in both countries. The future of Canada-India relations hinges on finding a way to resolve these issues and rebuild trust between the two nations.
