OTTAWA — India's transfer to scale back the presence of Canadian diplomats in its nation is “opposite to worldwide regulation,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mentioned Friday, and the remainder of the world needs to be involved about its penalties.
Overseas Affairs Minister Melanie Joly mentioned on Thursday that Canada had withdrawn most of its diplomatic presence from India after New Delhi threatened to revoke diplomatic immunity for them and their households.
Calling it a precedent-setting menace, Joly mentioned Canada selected to maneuver 41 of its diplomats out of India, together with 42 of their dependents. 21 Canadian diplomats stay in India.
On Friday, Trudeau referred to as India's choice to “unilaterally” waive diplomatic immunity from most of Canada “a violation of the governing diplomacy of the Vienna Conference,” echoing his overseas minister's assertion.
“These are those who select to go in opposition to a really primary precept of worldwide regulation and diplomacy,” Trudeau mentioned Friday at a housing announcement in Brampton, Ont.
“It’s one thing that each one international locations on this planet needs to be very involved about.
Relations with New Delhi have reached a deep freeze since Trudeau's announcement in September. 18 that Canadian intelligence providers have been investigating “a attainable hyperlink” between the federal government of India and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh chief in British Columbia.
Earlier on Friday, India's Ministry of Exterior Affairs mentioned its transfer to scale back the variety of Canadian diplomats in India, which it mentioned outnumbered India's personnel in Canada, was according to diplomatic conference. .
India's assertion cited a passage from a world conference on diplomatic relations that claims that within the absence of settlement, a bunch nation might request that a diplomatic mission be stored inside cheap and regular limits.
“We reject any try to painting the implementation of equality as a violation of worldwide norms,” the assertion mentioned.
Trudeau mentioned Friday that India's actions in opposition to Canadian diplomats “have far-reaching penalties for the diplomatic world.”
“It additionally has very actual impacts on the thousands and thousands of people that journey forwards and backwards between India, as college students and members of the family.”
Officers mentioned the transfer would sluggish the processing of immigration purposes, and Canada has issued a journey advisory for areas of India the place it says it has been compelled to scale back consular employees.
“The Indian authorities is making it extraordinarily troublesome for thousands and thousands of individuals in India and Canada to proceed life as regular. And they’re doing it by violating a really primary precept of diplomacy. That is one thing that ought to concern everybody,” he mentioned. Friday.
— Rachel Aiello (@rachaiello) October 20, 2023
This report from The Canadian Press was first printed on October 20, 2023.