As tensions escalate between India and Canada, some members of the Indian diaspora are expressing concern about the impact the situation could have on travel between the two countries.
The federal government expelled six Indian diplomats on Monday after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced it had credible evidence that Indian agents played a role in violent crimes on Canadian soil, including extortion, the coercion and murder of Canadian citizens.
India insists it has received no evidence of any government involvement in crimes in Canada and has ordered six Canadian diplomats to leave.
Fazle Baki, president of the South Asian Center in Windsor, southwestern Ontario, says many community members he has spoken to – particularly families and students – have expressed concern about their ability to travel between India and Canada if the conflict escalates into visa suspension.
In September last year, India temporarily suspended visa services for Canadian citizens after Canada claimed there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the murder of the Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Mr. Baki says many in his community are feeling nervous because of strained diplomatic relations and its latest developments, and they hope to have clarity soon on the impact this could have on obtaining and processing visas. .
“They are tense, they are worried, they are frustrated by the lack of information and they are looking for instructions,” he said.
Concerns as Diwali approaches
Rama Singh, a retired McMaster University professor and co-chair of the annual Gandhi Peace Festival in Hamilton, has what is called an OCI card, which allows unlimited entry into India for its overseas citizens.
But the Ancaster resident says he’s worried about his upcoming trip to India, and others who plan to visit the country in the coming weeks as Diwali and wedding season approach.
“I’m worried because I bought tickets, and I would like to know soon in which direction things are going,” he said.
This week’s expulsion of Indian diplomats from Canada comes after more than a year of growing tensions between the two countries, which came to a head following the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
Several months of tense diplomatic relations followed, marked in particular by the postponement by Canada of a trade mission to India and the expulsion by the two countries of senior diplomats.
But amid growing tensions, Mr. Singh says it is important to remember how Indians have contributed to the social fabric of Canada and the relationships created in local communities.
“I believe that the relationship between India and Canada is strong and long-term, and will remain so,” he maintained.
