The Canada–India diplomatic row is an ongoing

diplomatic Diplomatics (in American English, and in most anglophone countries), or diplomatic (in British English), is a scholarly discipline centred on the critical analysis of documents, especially historical documents. It focuses on the conventions, pr ...

dispute between Canada and India that started in September 2023, with periodic escalation throughout the following year. While the diplomatic row was initially triggered due to Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

's allegations that the

Indian government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

was involved in the assassination of

Hardeep Singh Nijjar Hardeep Singh Nijjar (11 October 197718 June 2023) was a Canadian Sikh involved with the Khalistan movement. He was a prominent member of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and spearheaded the group's Khalistan Referendum campaign. Born in India, ...

, the ongoing tensions between India and Canada have been largely fuelled by disagreements over the

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

separatist

Khalistan movement The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno-religious sovereign state called Khalistan () in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different gr ...

and its active supporters. This led to a prolonged diplomatic stand-off between the countries. Both the countries expelled diplomatic staff, claiming interference in the other's internal affairs. In 2023, both countries expelled members of each other's diplomatic staff and advised their citizens against traveling to the other; Canada closed three consulates in India. In October 2024, Canada expelled Sanjay Kumar Verma, the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, along with five other diplomats. India retaliated with six expulsions of its own. Leaders of various nations released statements expressing concern on the stand-off.

Background

Canada has the largest Sikh population outside India.

s who number 770,000, account for nearly 2 percent of Canada's population. Some Sikhs living in Canada are prominent members of the

, which advocates for a separation from India to create an independent Sikh homeland. India has since increasingly accused Canada of giving free rein to Khalistani activists in Canada. In March 2023, Canada's High Commissioner was summoned by India to convey strong concern over Sikh protesters in Canada and the security breach of India's diplomatic mission and consulates. In June 2023,

was assassinated in Canada. In September 2023, on the sidelines of the

G20 summit G, or g, is the seventh letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''gee'' (pronounced ), plural ''gees''. The lowerc ...

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, the Indian Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

conveyed concerns about the protests in Canada to Canadian Prime Minister

. In 2023, Canada paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India. In September 2023, Canada announced it had postponed an October trade mission to India. On 18 September 2023, Prime Minister Trudeau addressing the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

said that "Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the

government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

and the killing of a Canadian citizen,

". Trudeau stated that he had presented the accusations directly to Prime Minister Modi "in no uncertain terms" during the

G20 The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It works to address major issues related to the global economy, such as international financial stabil ...

summit in New Delhi. Trudeau further added that "Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty" while urging the Indian government to cooperate in the ongoing investigation. Indian Ministry of External Affairs rejected Trudeau's allegations in a statement saying that claims of India's "involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated". It added that similar accusations made earlier by Trudeau to Prime Minister Modi had been "completely rejected". The statement further said that "Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity". India urged Canada "to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil". It said that Canada's inaction has been "a long-standing and continuing concern". The tensions between the countries were fueled by disagreements over the separatist

and its active supporters. The Indian government claimed that Canada has not provided any evidence linking the Indian government to Nijjar's death. Canada contended that it was provided intelligence on the same by US intelligence agencies.

Diplomatic row

On 18 September 2023, Canadian

Minister of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

Melanie Joly Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Station chief of the Canada station of India's foreign intelligence agency —

Research and Analysis Wing The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) is the foreign intelligence agency of the Republic of India. The agency's primary function is gathering foreign intelligence, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, advising Indian policymakers, and a ...

. The High Commission of India in Ottawa lists Rai as the minister responsible for "eco, coordination, community affairs". In her statement, Joly said that Canada "will not tolerate any form of foreign interference". She added that such action "is not only troubling but it is completely unacceptable". She further said that India's involvement if proven true would be "a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other". On 19 September 2023, India expelled a top diplomat of Canada with five days' notice to leave the country amid "growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats" in India's "internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities", according to a statement from Indian Ministry of External Affairs. The expelled diplomat was later identified as the CSIS's Station chief in India - Olivier Sylvestere. On 20 September 2023, India warned its citizens due to "growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence" to "exercise utmost caution" in Canada. Dominic LeBlanc, Canadian public safety minister, responded to the travel alert saying "Canada is a safe country". On 21 September 2023, Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson

Arindam Bagchi Arindam Bagchi is an Indian diplomat of Indian Foreign Service. He was appointed the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs in March 2021 and served there till 3 January 2024. On 16 October 2023, he was appointed India's Per ...

announced that India has suspended "temporarily the issuance of visas or providing visa services" for all Canadian nationals in all categories, including

e-visa An electronic visa (E-Visa) and an electronic travel authorization (ETA, also styled eTA) are online systems established by countries that affirm the eligibility of a foreign national to travel to their country under their immigration laws. They ...

s and for Canadian citizens applying from third countries, due to "security threats" against its diplomats. On 24 September 2023, Canada updated its

travel advisory A travel warning, travel alert, or travel advisory is an official warning statement issued by government agencies to provide information about the relative safety of travelling to or visiting one or more specific foreign countries or destinations ...

for India, advising its citizens there to "remain vigilant and exercise caution" due to "calls for protests and some negative sentiment towards Canada on social media". It urges travellers to "exercise a high degree of caution in India due to the threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country". In early October, India asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its 62 diplomats from the country and threatened to revoke the

diplomatic immunity Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

of diplomats who would remain after a certain date. On 18 October 2023, 41 Canadian diplomats along with 42 of their family members left India.

Mélanie Joly Mélanie Joly (; born January 16, 1979) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has been serving as the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Minister of Industry, Registrar General of Canada, and Minister responsible for the Economic D ...

, the Canadian foreign minister, said that Canada will temporarily close three consulates in India and concentrate services at its high commission in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, with 21 diplomats remaining in India. Canada's immigration minister, Marc Miller said that the situation would cause delays in the immigration applications and processing of visas for people in India. On 20 October 2023, India's Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement stating that "Their continued interference in our internal affairs warrant a parity in mutual diplomatic presence in New Delhi and Ottawa". In November 2023, at the

United Nations Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a United Nations Regional Gro ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

, India availed the

Universal Periodic Review The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a mechanism of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) that emerged from the 2005 UN reform process.resolution 60/251of 3 April 2006, the UPR periodically examines the human rights performance of a ...

of the human rights records of Canada to request Canada to “prevent misuse of freedom of expression for inciting violence and disallow activities of groups which are promoting extremism”. In April 2024, the Canadian deputy high commissioner was summoned by India after separatist slogans supporting a Sikh homeland were allegedly raised at a

Vaisakhi Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi or Mesadi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April or sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern In ...

event addressed by Prime Minister Trudeau. Concerns were voiced within Canada with members such as the Premier of British Columbia

David Eby David Robert Patrick Eby (; born July 21, 1976) is a Canadian politician and lawyer who has served as the 37th and current premier of British Columbia since November 18, 2022. Eby is a member of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (NDP) a ...

voicing out suspicion that the federal government is holding back information. Balraj Singh, son of Hardeep Nijjar, said his father had been meeting with Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers before the murder and according to a report by ''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...

'', Nijjar was suspected to be an asset for Canadian security services. In September 2024, RRM Canada examined a number of Indian media outlets and named organisations such as

Asian News International Asian News International (ANI) is an Indian news agency that offers syndicated multimedia news feeds to news bureaus in India. The company was established by Prem Prakash in 1971 and, under the name TVNF, it soon became the first agency in Ind ...

(ANI),

WION WION (World is One News) is an Indian English language news channel headquartered in Noida, India. WION is owned by the Essel Group and is a part of the Zee Media network of channels, whose majority owner is Subhash Chandra and family. As o ...

Aaj Tak () is an Indian Hindi-language television news channel owned by the TV Today Network, a part of the New Delhi-based media conglomerate India Today Group. History Aaj Tak was first broadcast on DD Metro of Doordarshan (DD) in 1995. It ...

, and journalists like Smita Prakash, Palki Sharma, and Anand Ranganathan and noted their potential influence on Canadian public opinion in order to promote narratives related to

, and Canada–India relations. The report added the emergence of these activities since the Canadian government has accused Indian involvement in the murder of Nijjar. Speaking at the

Council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank focused on Foreign policy of the United States, U.S. foreign policy and international relations. Founded in 1921, it is an independent and nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organi ...

, India's

Minister of External Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral rela ...

S. Jaishankar raised concern over the incidents of threats to Indian diplomats and attacks on Indian consulates, stating that these are very permissive because of political reasons. He assured that the Indian side will take action if the Canadian side provides specific information in connection with Nijjar's killing. There were further statements by leaders of the Khalistan movement threatening Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave Canada. The Indian government also instructed its investigative agencies to identify all Khalistan supporters in Canada, and canceled their

Overseas Citizenship of India Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. It allows the cardholders a lifetime entry to the country along with benefits suc ...

card to prevent them from entering India, in addition to confiscating their assets in India. On October 29 2024

David Morrison Lieutenant General David Lindsay Morrison (born 24 May 1956) is a retired senior officer of the Australian Army. He served as Chief of Army from June 2011 until his retirement in May 2015. He was named Australian of the Year for 2016. Early ...

, Canada's Minister of Deputy Foreign Affairs, shared with Parliament members that he had provided Indian home minister Amit Shah's name to the Washington Post, which first reported the allegations of the Indian government's involvement in 2023. Morrison did not explain how Canada knew about Shah's alleged involvement. In response, India issued a formal protest calling the claims of Shah's involvement 'absurd and baseless', with a spokesperson from the Indian Foreign Ministry further stating "such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties”. On November 22, 2024, Nathalie G. Drouin from the Privy Council Office stated that the Canadian Government is “not aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada"

2024 expulsions

In June 2024, Modi and Trudeau met briefly at the

50th G7 summit The 50th G7 summit was held from 13 to 15 June 2024 in the city of Fasano in Apulia, Italy. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced in November 2023 that Fasano would be the headquarters of the G7. Leaders at the summit Background All G7 ...

in Italy, signaling a resumption of dialogue and a reduction in diplomatic tensions. International relations experts have called for Canada and India to find a way forward in their relations due to their engagement in a broad range of geopolitical issues and India's importance for the United States and Canada in their

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

strategy. On 12 October 2024, Canadian officials informed

Ajit Doval Ajit Kumar Doval, Kirti Chakra, KC (born 20 January 1945) is an Indian bureaucrat and spymaster, who is currently serving as the National Security Advisor of India since 2014. A retired Indian Police Service officer of the Kerala cadre, he had p ...

, India's National Security Advisor, that the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, and five other diplomats were

persons of interest "Person of interest" is a term used by law enforcement in the United States, Canada, and other countries when identifying someone possibly involved in a criminal investigation who has not been arrested or formally accused of a crime. It has no leg ...

in the Nijjar murder and asked for their diplomatic and consular immunity to be removed so as to cooperate in the investigation. Canadian minister of Foreign Affairs

said that India did not agree to this, and the diplomats were served with notices of expulsion. India released a conflicting statement saying that it had instead already withdrawn the diplomats out of safety concerns, but later announced a tit-for-tat expulsion of six Canadian diplomats. Canadian officials said they had evidence of the involvement of the Indian government in various home invasions, drive-by shootings, arson and two homicides, those of Nijjar and of Sukhdool Singh, shot in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

on 20 September 2023. They said that Indian diplomats intimidated and coerced Canadians, who were seeking immigration documents and/or had family ties in India, to gather intelligence for the Indian Intelligence agency RAW and to surveil targets, who were then attacked by a gang led by

Lawrence Bishnoi Lawrence Bishnoi (born Balkaran Brar; 12 February 1993) is an Indian gangster who attained notoriety as the boss of the "Bishnoi gang", which is reportedly linked to over 700 shooters operating across the world. Bishnoi has been imprisoned sin ...

. The

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...

said they had arrested several people in connection with the case, some of whom they alleged to have had links to the Government of India. They also said to have alerted twelve Canadian residents of Indian descent based on credible evidence that they could be targeted by Indian agents and encouraged people with information to come forward to help with the investigation. After Verma's expulsion, he alleged there being a significant presence and infiltration of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada's law and order institutions, defense forces, and the Canadian Parliament.

Reactions

A spokesperson for Australia's Foreign Minister,

Penny Wong Penelope Ying-Yen Wong (born 5 November 1968) is an Australian politician who is serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate in the Albanese government since 2022. A member of the Australian Labor Pa ...

, stated that “Australia is deeply concerned by these allegations and notes ongoing investigations into this matter. Australia believes all countries should respect sovereignty and the rule of law”. In 2024, the Australian Foreign Minister stated she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar during his visit to Australia in November. A spokesperson for the United Kingdom's

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

said that they "do not agree with the decisions taken by the Indian government that have resulted in a number of Canadian diplomats departing India". The statement added that they "continue to encourage India to engage with Canada on its independent investigation into the death of

". The

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

spokesperson Matthew Miller said that they "urged the Indian government not to insist upon a reduction in Canada's diplomatic presence and to cooperate in the ongoing Canadian investigation". The New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern in a statement saying “Now seems the time for more diplomacy, not less,” adding that it expects "all states to uphold their obligations under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including in relation to the privileges and immunities of accredited staff”. According to

Michael Kugelman Michael Kugelman is an American foreign policy author and expert specializing in South Asia. He is the director of the South Asia Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He is an columnist for the Foreign Policy Magazine. ...

, director of the South Asia Institute at the

Wilson Center The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank dedicated to research and policy discussions on global issues. Established by an act of Congress in 1968, it serves as both ...

think-tank, "this may be the lowest level to which this relationship has sunk. It won't be easy to return to the old normal anytime soon".

References

External links