Snubbed at G20, stranded in Delhi: Why Justin Trudeau’s visit has been turbulent

All his bags are packed but he has nowhere to go. That’s Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, who’s been forced to extend his stay in New Delhi after his plane broke down. And with that, his trip that has been rocky and turbulent – receiving criticism from the Indian government – ends on an even more inauspicious note.

Now, the Canadian prime minister will fly back home not before Tuesday afternoon after a replacement aircraft was brought in, and we can’t help but believe that Trudeau would be heaving a sigh of relief to return home.

But what went wrong for Trudeau? Why has this visit for the Canadian PM been so rough? And why does it bring back memories of his 2018 trip, which also had its own shares of bumps and controversy?

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Trudeau’s plane grounded

Justin Trudeau arrived in New Delhi with his 16-year-old son, Xavier, on Friday to attend the G20 Summit on his CC 150 Polaris aircraft, also known as the ‘Flying Taj Mahal’.

Trudeau and his delegation were meant to leave Delhi on Sunday at 8 pm but his aircraft developed a technical snag, forcing him to stay back for more time. Canada’s Department of National Defence later confirmed that the first aircraft – a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) CC-150 Polaris with the tail number ‘01’ – suffered a “maintenance problem” stemming from a “component that will have to be replaced”.

Following this, a ferry aircraft, most probably a CF002 has been diverted to India from the United Kingdom to bring back the 51-year-old Canadian leader. According to news agency PTI, his departure from New Delhi will not take place before Tuesday afternoon, with the Canadian prime minister’s office issuing a statement, which read: “We will keep you updated regularly as the situation evolves. Their latest update shows an earliest possible departure of Tuesday late afternoon. The situation remains fluid.”

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Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Trudeau’s plane has given him trouble. Back in 2016, the aircraft developed a snag in the flaps which forced Trudeau, who was heading to Brussels to sign a free trade deal with the European Union, to return to Ottawa just 30 minutes after take-off.

Two years later, Trudeau’s visit to India hit turbulence when his plane developed a snag in Rome during a refuelling stop and delayed his flight by three hours. The Canadian media had then reported – ‘Flying Taj Mahal’ delayed Trudeau’s visit to the actual Taj Mahal.

What is even more interesting is that while being stranded in Delhi, Trudeau has been holed up in their hotel room – he had accommodation at The Lalit – and has refused to move out of the room.

The ministry of external affairs confirmed earlier on Monday that they had received no request from Canada for any engagement and The Hindustan Times also reported that there were no engagements at the local high commission either.

Trudeau’s G20 turns gaffe-20

Trudeau’s plane developing a snag, forcing him to extend his stay in India, is just one part of his turbulent stay in the Capital. His G20 experience has been far from smooth-sailing.

At the summit itself, media reported that he was snubbed not just by India, but by other world leaders too. He also skipped the dinner for the G20 leaders on Saturday, with the Canadian prime minister’s office refusing to say why.

There was also the awkward moment when the G20 leaders paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial Rajghat in New Delhi on Sunday, Day 2 of the meet. According to a report by CTV News, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to grasp Trudeau’s hand, the latter pulled back. When asked about it, the Canadian prime minister suggested people could read into it what they wished to.

If this didn’t make for an awkward visit, Trudeau’s request for a bilateral was also refused by India and New Delhi granted Trudeau a ‘pull aside’ meeting. When that meeting happened, Modi took up the issue of Khalistani extremism in Canada and threats of violence against Indian diplomats from Khalistani extremists.

Also read: The growing pro-Khalistan sentiment in Canada

The statement later released said: “He (PM Modi) conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship.”

News outlets such as Reuters and Bloomberg reported that Trudeau got a “scolding" and “criticism” from Prime Minister Modi during their talks, which was also carried by Canadian newspapers.

And it seems that Trudeau’s gaffe-ridden G20 Summit also made news back in his country. The country’s main opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, mocked Trudeau, writing on X, “Putting partisanship aside, no one likes to see a Canadian prime minister repeatedly humiliated & trampled upon by the rest of the world.” He was reacting to the Toronto Sun clipping with the headline ‘THIS WAY OUT’ with the accompanying image showing Trudeau with his Indian counterpart and G20 host, Narendra Modi.

Putting partisanship aside, no one likes to see a Canadian prime minister repeatedly humiliated & trampled upon by the rest of the world. pic.twitter.com/TOR3p4gKgn

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) September 10, 2023

There are others in Canada too who question their leader and his ability to run the country. Many have attacked Trudeau for his “woke agenda” on issues around gender and freedom of speech.

Many others also voiced concern that Trudeau’s role and presence at the G20 Summit didn’t bode well for the country. A Canadian political commentator, named Concerned Canadian on X, even wrote, “Trudeau embarrassed Canada & denigrated our global respect & influence! Liberals how can you continue to support him?”

Rewind to 2018

It seems that Trudeau’s visits to India are always mired in controversy. His G20 Summit visit evokes memories of his 2018 trip , became a diplomatic disaster.

In February of that year, Trudeau’s eight-day expedition was criticised and slammed by commentators across both sides of the pond. The visit raised many eyebrows as it began with family outings to various sites across Delhi and ended with a bilateral with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Many questioned why his eight-day visit included just half-a-day of official engagements in New Delhi. Also, his decision to keep donning traditional Indian outfits was considered over-the-top and inappropriate by many.

The presence of Jaspal Atwal , a convicted former Khalistani terrorist, to a reception hosted by the Canadian High Commission was the most embarrassing moment for Trudeau.

It seems that Trudeau’s visit to India has always been mired with controversies and many believe that this was a missed opportunity to improve ties between India and Canada.

With inputs from agencies