‘Trudeau behaving like a dictator’: Australia Today editor after Canada blocks Jaishankar presser

Amid the brewing diplomatic row between Canada and India, the Canadian government on Thursday banned prominent news outlet Australia Today from broadcasting the joint press conference of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart Penny Wong. The move not only left the Australian news outlet looking for answers but also surprised the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, which called out Canada’s act of curbing diverse voices.

In an exclusive conversation with Firstpost, Australia Today Editor-in-Chief Jitarth Jai Bharadwaj called Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau-led government’s action “dictatorial”. Bharadwaj said his group was still looking for reasons why the video was restricted in the country.

Bharadwaj noted that the Indian diaspora in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Canada, the UK and the US is Australia Today’s main target audience. The news outlet primarily covers stories about the Indian diaspora and multicultural communities.

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What exactly happened?

On Friday morning, Australia Today shared the clip from the joint press conference addressed by Wong and Jaishankar where the diplomats spoke about the dire situation of Indians and the country’s diplomats in Canada. Around four hours later, the outlet also shared a seven-minute interview clip with Jaishankar in which the Indian external affairs minister said that surveillance of the Indian diplomats in Canada is “unacceptable”.

Shortly after publishing the videos, both the press conference clip and the interview were inaccessible in Canada, with many sharing screenshots of the restricted message displayed on Facebook. The Indian foreign ministry criticised the move as the Trudeau government’s “hypocrisy” towards freedom of speech.

#WATCH | Delhi: On Canada blocking or banning the prominent outlet there- Australia Today, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "We understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, has been blocked and are not… pic.twitter.com/r0Igyg3Ho0

— ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2024

“We understand that the social media handles, and pages of this particular outlet, which is an important diaspora outlet, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. This happened just an hour or a few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of EAM Dr S Jaishankar with Penny Wong… We were surprised. It looks strange to us," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

‘Trudeau and his government are behaving like dictators’: Australia Today’s Editor-in-Chief

While recalling the whole episode, Bhardwaj said that he was shocked when he learned that people in Canada weren’t able to access the videos. “They started sharing with us the screenshots that this content can’t be viewed in Canada by the order of the Canadian government. I was surprised by what had happened. So, I enquired in different cities in Canada where we have some friends or followers and everyone said that they couldn’t watch this. And that’s how we came to know,” Bhardwaj told Firstpost on Friday.

He recalled that the two videos were initially visible in Canada and went viral instantly. Bhardwaj also mentioned that the videos garnered significant reactions from Indians in Canada before they were banned in the country.

“It looks like the Canadian government is clamping down on the press. As of now, they have not removed that ban or restriction, whatever you want to call it,” he averred.

Statement from The Australia Today:
We at @TheAusToday would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to every #news outlet, #journalist, and #supporter who stood by us during a challenging time. The recent restriction and ban on our interview with Indian External Affairs Minister… pic.twitter.com/53UTd5Le19

— The Australia Today (@TheAusToday) November 7, 2024

When asked if the news outlet had approached the Canadian government to raise its concern, Bharadwaj said that an email was sent to the Canadian Ministry of Communication. “They haven’t responded to our email, which we wrote to the Canadian Ministry of Communication about this section ban, asking why it has been placed since diverse views have a place in a democracy,” he said.

Expressing his frustration and surprise over the issue, Bharadwaj said, “It looks like Justin Trudeau and his government are behaving like dictators.”

He also said that Meta told the Australian outlet that the “restriction was imposed under the Canadian government’s direction”, indicating that the Trudeau administration took objection to the contents in the clips that showed Jaishankar explaining India’s position on the ongoing issues.

‘Indian diaspora is suffering because of the acts of the Canadian government’

When asked about the impact of such restrictions on the Indian diaspora’s access to information, Bhardwaj said, “The Indian diaspora in Canada is certainly suffering because of the behaviour and the acts of the Canadian government.”

“Every hour, they say the charter of Western democracy, that every citizen has a right to free information so that they can make informed decisions about political, social, cultural or religious issues, any decision they want to take. It has to be an informed decision,” Bhardwaj exclaimed.

“And the free press and free media are one of the tools to provide that information so that
people can make proper decisions. The Canadian government doesn’t want to let its citizens hear diverse views or the views which are critical to it,” he told Firstpost.

While emphasising that they are still looking for answers on why the videos were restricted in Canada, Bhradwaj said that the Trudeau government might not be open to hearing critical views.

He said, “I have no idea why they have taken the decision. But it seems that they don’t like any minister, be it of India or Australia to be critical of them. I mean, there was a simple question asked in the press conference by me, how do you react to attacks on Canadian Hindus by Khalistani groups or Hindu temples in Canada?”

The Australia-based journalist said that even Wong spoke about Canberra’s concerns about the issue. “This is unprecedented. If you get provoked by a few ministers of different countries criticising your actions or non-actions, then it’s on them that they have to learn a few things about politics, diplomacy and press freedom,” he said.

‘Canadian government have been selectively using freedom of speech’

One of the core arguments put forth by the Trudeau administration to defend their alleged support of the pro-Khalistani movement in the country is that they are ensuring freedom of speech. When asked about Canada’s stance on the matter, Bharadwaj said that the “Canadian government has been selectively using freedom of speech” to further its political agenda.

He referred to two instances. One of them involved Pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurpurwat Singh Pannun threatening Australia Today journalists.

“Sikh for Justice’s Gurpurwat Singh Pannun made a video with the photographs of my team,
our editors and gestured like this, a gunshot and said, fix these people in Punjabi. Canada did nothing,” he told Firstpost.

“We have complained to Canada that Mr Pannun has been doing this and inciting hate or violence towards us, but they haven’t done anything. What kind of government are they? What kind of press protecting Western democracy do they claim to be,” he asked.

Bharadwaj also recalled how a couple of years ago, the Trudeau administration cracked down on the trucker strikes that took place in the country. “Two years back when truck strikes were happening on the roads of Canada, they clamped down on Canadian citizens disregarding freedom of speech, disregarding [their] right to protest,” Bharadwaj said.

“They also blocked their financial bank accounts. So, these truckers had to go back to their places, stopping their protest. If that is not hypocrisy, what it is, I can’t say more,” he said.

‘Things won’t change until Trudeau is at the helm’

Bharadwaj emphasised that the Indian and Canadian governments need to resolve their issues. “Canada cannot ignore the way it is ignoring the Khalistani, pro-Khalistani groups who are threatening violence, who are attacking Hindu temples, who are even threatening the press,” he said.

With the Canadian elections on the horizon, Bharadwaj said, “Things probably won’t change much until Trudeau is at the helm of things in Canada.”

Trudeau has been under immense political pressure back home after the New Democratic Party broke its alliance with his Liberal Party, bringing the government to a minority in the Canadian parliament. Trudeau has survived two trust votes and Canada observers say that he may not get another term with the election due next year.