Fallout of the India-Canada spat? Why has Canada opposition leader Pierre Poilievre cancelled Diwali celebrations?

Ties between India and Canada have hit an all-time low. The two countries have been divided over the killing of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar with Ottawa pointing fingers at New Delhi. India has blamed the North American country for harbouring Khalistanis. Amid the ongoing diplomatic spat, the office of Canada’s opposition leader Pierre Poilievre cancelled a Diwali celebration at Parliament Hill, which houses the country’s parliament in Ottawa.

No Diwali in Canada’s Parliament Hill

The Diwali event was scheduled to be held on Wednesday (30 October) but was reportedly cancelled without an explanation. The celebrations were organised by the Indian diaspora group, the Overseas Friends of India Canada (OFIC), and were to be hosted by Conservative Member of Parliament Todd Doherty, according to media reports.

The event has been organised for 23 years and has seen the participation of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists in Canada.

A fallout of the India-Canada diplomatic spat?

OFIC president Shiv Bhasker wrote a letter to Poilievre, expressing his dismay over the cancellation of the celebrations. “This event was meant to be joyous occasions to honor Diwali, a festival that is not only deeply significant to the Indo-Canadian community but also emblematic of the multicultural spirit that Canada prides itself on. However, the sudden withdrawal of political leaders from this event, prompted by the current diplomatic situation between India and Canada, has left us feeling betrayed and unjustly singled out. These developments, while deeply concerning, should never have resulted in the unfair treatment of Canadians of Indian descent, who have no connection to the actions or decisions of a foreign government,” Bhasker wrote in the letter.

“…Racism and discrimination are thriving in Canada and this latest development has laid bare the systematic biases that still exist. Our politicians, by recusing themselves from these cultural celebrations, have sent a message – intentionally or not – that we, as Canadians of Indian heritage are not fully part of the nation, that we are somehow less Canadian because of our ancestral ties,” the letter, which was shared by journalist Daniel Bordman on X, read.

Absolutely disgraceful behaviour from @PierrePoilievre and the @CPC_HQ cancelling Diwali celebrations this year because they are afraid that the Liberals and the media will accuse them of foreign interference. Shameful and cowardly behaviour which really throws into question the… pic.twitter.com/Yd3Ovq5emC

— Daniel Bordman (@DanielBordmanOG) October 29, 2024

‘Discrimination’ toward Indo-Canadians

“By canceling their participation, our political leaders have failed to draw a necessary distinction between the Canadian Indian community and the actions of the Indian government. In doing so, they have unwittingly reinforced the very stereotypes and racial biases they claim to stand against,” Bhasker said.

The OFIC president has called for an apology from Poilievre and said that the decision to cancel Diwali celebrations will be remembered “at the time of exercising our franchise”.

According to Bhasker, the tradition of hosting Diwali celebrations at Parliament Hill was started by Deepak Obhrai, the former Conservative Member of Parliament. “After his death (in 2019) other MPs stepped in and continued the tradition, with Todd Doherty being the most recent host. However, this year the office of the Leader of the Opposition called them and told them to cancel it,” he told ThePrint.

Interestingly, Poilievre attended the Dusshera celebrations in Canada at the Hindu Sabha Mandir on 14 October.

Celebrated the victory of good over evil at the largest Dussehra celebration in Canada at the Hindu Sabha Mandir.

Light will always overcome darkness.

Happy Dussehra! pic.twitter.com/SVkM215d5y

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) October 13, 2024

The celebrations in Canada last Diwali

The Diwali tradition has continued for more than two decades in Canada’s Parliament Hill. During the celebrations last year, Polivere and the then-Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma addressed the gathering which was attended by 540 guests.

The event was held in November last year, almost six weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau first claimed that there were “credible allegations” of officials from the Indian government had links to the killing of Nijjar.

The Khalistani terrorist was killed outside a gurdwara in British Columbia’s Surrey on 18 June 2023.

Diwali celebrations continued last year despite the spat between the two countries. However, the ties between New Delhi and Ottawa have only plummeted further since.

Celebrating the timeless lesson of Diwali with the friends of Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.

Good triumphs over evil. Knowledge always trumps ignorance. pic.twitter.com/Covpcj2ehc

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) November 13, 2023

The deteriorating India-Canada ties

Earlier this month, India recalled Verma along with other diplomats after Ottawa declared the high commissioner as a “person of interest” in the killing of Nijjar. New Delhi also expelled six Canadian diplomats including acting high commissioner Stewart Wheeler and deputy high commissioner Patrick Hebert.

Canada too expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India”.

However, New Delhi has maintained that there was not a “shred of evidence” shared by authorities in Ottawa about the Nijjar killing.

On 16 November, Trudeau acknowledged that he had only intelligence and no “hard evidentiary proof” when he alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Nijjar last year. However, he said that “the Indian government made a horrific mistake in thinking that they could interfere as aggressively as they did in the safety and sovereignty of Canada”.

With inputs from agencies