Vantage | Why Trudeau picked the wrong fight but isn't giving up

Canada is pulling its 41 diplomats out of India. It was a demand from the Indian side. New Delhi said Canada’s diplomatic presence was too big. They had around 60 officials in India. That is around three times higher than India’s presence in Canada.

So, New Delhi said: We want parity. It asked Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats from India. Reports say the demand came with a warning: Pull out diplomats or lose your diplomatic immunity. It has taken some time, but Ottawa has decided to comply. Not without criticism though. Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, has lashed out at India. She says the decision by India was unilateral. She also said it violates international law.

So does it? India says: No.

Watch:

The Ministry of External Affairs has responded to Canada’s charge:

“The much higher number of Canadian diplomats in India, and their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant a parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa…Our actions in implementing this parity are fully consistent with Article 11.1 of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations,” the statement said.

And what does this article say? It says countries can decide how big a foreign mission should be. Unless, of course, there is some agreement or deal.

So, India says, the decision is perfectly legal, but here is how it’ll impact the people. Visa services will slow down. In-person services have been paused in Chandigarh, Mumbai and Bangalore. That is where Canada had consulates in India. If you need help, you must visit the High Commission in New Delhi, or, the third party centres.

We could be looking at a huge backlog here, reports say, up to 17,500 applications could be affected by December. So plan accordingly.

Canada too will be affected by this, Indians make up the largest chunk of students and permanent residents in Canada. They bring in a lot of money. So this decision will hurt both sides. Now, I know we haven’t covered this story in a long time. Doesn’t mean things have cooled down.

In fact, Trudeau has been busy behind the scenes, on 8 October, he dialled the UAE president and the Jordanian king. This was hours after the Hamas attack on Israel. And what did Trudeau discuss? Among other things, India. He spoke to UAE and Jordan about India’s role in Hardeep Nijjar’s killing. Talk about a diplomatic master-stroke. The entire region was plunging into war. And, Trudeau thought now is the time to talk about India.

Such blunders are backfiring on him, a new poll says most Canadians want him out. Around 57 per cent to be precise. They are asking Trudeau to step down as prime minister. And it’s not just because of India, Trudeau’s tenure has been far from impressive, interest rates are at a 22-year-high. There’s a crisis in the housing market. And what does Trudeau do?

Pick a fight with the fifth largest economy. That too without proof.

It’s been a month since Trudeau accused India of murder, and still there is no evidence. His best bet was rallying Canada’s allies in the West. But looking at the current global situation, that’s tough.

Just think about it. A full-blown West Asian war on one side, the case of a separatist’s murder on the other.

Which one will world leaders address first? Obviously the war.

Nonetheless, Canada isn’t giving up. Their foreign minister’s statements indicate that. She was very combative today. But India seems to have moved on. Yesterday, the foreign ministry held its weekly press briefing. Palestine was discussed, China was discussed, So was the Maldives and Qatar. But guess what wasn’t? Canada.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._

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