New Delhi: More than five months after Ottawa withdrew more than two-thirds of its diplomats, the Canadian government has reduced the number of local staff at its missions in India due to a shortage of supervisory personnel to oversee them.
Last October, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats from India after New Delhi demanded “parity” over diplomatic representation as it lashed out at Ottawa’s allegations that Indian agents had been behind the killing of a Canadian national, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Since then, the high commission in New Delhi and the three consulates in Mumbai, Chandigarh and Bengaluru have been operating with around 21 Canadian diplomats.
In a statement to The Wire, the Canadian high commission’s media relations office said that the decision was taken in the aftermath of the withdrawal of the Canadian diplomats.
“I can confirm that the Government of Canada has implemented some staff reductions across our network of missions in India. The decision to implement reductions across our network of missions in India was sadly necessary given the reduction of Canadian staff available to effectively manage and maintain in-country operations,” said the statement issued on Thursday (April 12) night.
While the specific count of local staff who have been laid off has not been disclosed, it’s apparent that the number is significant.
With approximately 20 Canadian diplomats, it was unwieldly to work with a much higher proportion of local staff now, the statement indicated.
“We wish to express our sincere gratitude for the resilience, dedication and service of our local staff in India”.
The statement also said that the “core services” to Canadians in India, which it described as consular support and business development, will continue to be delivered “so that the citizens of our two countries can continue to benefit from the longstanding ties between Canadians and Indians”.
The Canadian high commission also said that Canada’s “visa application centres in India are operating as normal”.
At the time of the mass withdrawal of its diplomats, Canada had also stopped all in-person services at its three consulates.
Among the 41 diplomats who left India were 22 staff from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada’s federal body overseeing foreign travel, leaving just five staff for overseeing visa operations.
The IRCC had stated in October that more than 89% of India’s visa applications were already processed through its global network, but cautioned that there would be delays due to the reduction in staff.
Meanwhile, the issue of the killing of Nijjar, whom India had proscribed as a Khalistani terrorist, came up in the testimony of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian federal elections in 2019 and 2020 on Wednesday.
Initially focussed on China, Iran and Russia, the inquiry commission broadened its scope to encompass India as well.
In September 2023, Trudeau addressed Canada’s lower chamber of parliament, accused Indian government agents of potential involvement in Nijjar’s killing and expelled an Indian diplomat.
Vehemently rejecting the charges, India also expelled a Canadian diplomat, stopped all visa services for Canadians and asked Ottawa to drastically bring down the number of its diplomats in line with India’s diplomatic presence.
Testifying before the commission on Wednesday, Trudeau said anyone who arrives in Canada from any part of the world should have the same rights as Canadians, free from threats and influence from their country of origin.
He emphasised how his government has consistently defended Canadians’ rights, citing the case he presented to parliament about Nijjar’s killing as a prime example.
“… and how we have stood up for Canadians, including in the very serious case that I brought forward to parliament of the killing of Nijjar, demonstrates our government’s commitment to defending the rights and freedoms of Canadians for which so many people crossed oceans and continents,” he stated.
Trudeau pointed out that it was important to question the previous Conservative government “that was known for its very cosy relationship with the current Indian government”.
He asserted that his government has “always stood up to defend minorities in Canada and the rights of minorities to speak out, even if it irritates their home countries overseas”.
The Indian government had claimed that Canada had not taken enough steps to curtail the activities of Khalistani groups on its soil.
However, Ottawa has complained that New Delhi has not provided enough information and proof that would be compatible with Canada’s legal system.
Two months after Trudeau stood in the House of Commons, US prosecutors revealed charges against Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen, implicating an unnamed government official in a thwarted plot to assassinate a lawyer for a Khalistani group in New York by hiring a hitman.
The US indictment also tied Nijjar’s June 2023 murder to the alleged conspiracy in New York.
