Inept, Arrogant, Out of His League: Justin Trudeau "Responsibly and Constructively"

"Obviously, we're going through an extremely challenging time with India right now."

"That's why its so important for us to have diplomats on the ground, working with the Indian government, there to support Canadians and Canadian families."

"We're not looking to escalate, as I've said."

"[Canada is] taking this extremely seriously, but we're going to continue to engage responsibly and constructively with the government of India."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Indian police outside the Canadian embassy in Delhi last month. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

"He [Nijjar] had over a dozen criminal cases of murder and other terrorist activities against him in India."

"The details of the cases were shared with the Canadian authorities, but no action was taken except putting him on a no-fly list."

Senior Indian official

"In moments of tension -- because indeed there are tensions between both our governments -- more than ever it's important that diplomats be on the ground."

"That's why we believe in the importance of having a strong diplomatic footprint in India."

"That being said, we are in ongoing conversations with the Indian government."

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, Ottawa

"Overall, there are 21 key gangsters based in Canada who are wanted by Indian agencies and their list and detailed evidence against them has been shared with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on more than one occasion in the past year."

Hindustan Times, September 21

"[Trudeau's allegation] was not consistent with our policy. If his government had anything relevant and specific they would like us to look into, we were open to looking at it. That's where that conversation is at this point of time."

"[The issue of Sikh separatists living in Canada had long been] an issue of great friction [notably after the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182, the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history]."

"In the last few years, it has come back very much into play, because of what we consider to be a very permissive Canadian attitude toward terrorists, extremists, people who openly advocate violence."

"They have been given operating space in Canada because of the compulsions of Canadian politics."

Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar

"Canada should not become a sanctuary for murderers."

"While killers find refuge in Canada and live comfortably, their victims' families continue to suffer."

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen

Canada's extradition system is a sore point with Bangladesh in its refusal to extradite Noor Chowdhury, convicted of assassinating former Bangladeshi president and founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Indian authorities have been furnishing Canadian diplomats and its federal police force with the names of Indian expatriates living in Canada against whom serious criminal charges of plotting to overthrow the government of India and being involved in causing the death of their critics whom India asked to be extradited. Just such a list was also delivered directly to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. All have been studiously ignored.

Canada has never been involved in any kind of conflict or nationalist challenges taking place in India or Bangladesh. Within Canada, living as citizens, are millions of emigrants from countries all over the world. India alone has a significant number of expatriates, almost 2 million Indo-Canadian citizens representing over 5% of the population. They are divided almost equally between Indian Hindus and Sikhs who live quietly as good law-abiding citizens. The exception is a small, vocal and often violent sub-group of Sikhs agitating in Canada for a separate homeland in India; Khalistan.

When a Vancouver-area Sikh leader was murdered in early summer, charges in the minority radicalized Sikh community had it that Indian state agents were involved. Several weeks ago, Canada's prime minister stood in the House of Commons to accuse "agents of the Government of India" of murdering the man, Hardeep Singh Nijjar without offering even a semblance of evidence, stating that it was all under investigation. Under investigation, but Trudeau saw fit to accuse a friendly government of sponsoring a murder in Canada.

Canada, just incidentally, is the country where the S.S. St.Louis was sent on its way back to Germany -- with terrified Jewish refugees begging for haven from the death camps -- by a country like others around the world that had no wish to burden themselves protecting Jews from an inevitable genocidal fate by Nazi Germany. Not before the eruption of World War II, not during its six tortuous years, nor following war's end. But Nazis, Germans and other nationals who volunteered their services to the Third Reich and swore allegiance to its Fuhrer encountered little entry resistance.

 

Former Nazis found Canada a comfortable place to live after the rigours of mounting a world war and annihilating Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally and physically unfit, and members of the Canadian military fighting with the Allies died and were wounded in their tens of thousands for freedom, justice and to put a stop to the desolation of inhumane intolerance and the mass slaughter of innocents. Jewish groups living in Canada attempted for decades to persuade government to expel the Nazis, to no avail.

 

And several weeks ago, while welcoming Ukraine's Jewish President-at-war-with-Russia Volodymyr Zelenskyy, unwitting, ignorant-of-history Parliamentarians gave two standing ovations to a special guest brought to the House of Commons to mark the occasion of the Ukrainian President's visit and address to Parliament. That special guest, a 98-year-old former Ukrainian volunteer member of the SS-Galicia-Division comprised of ethnic Ukrainians who swore allegiance to Adolf Hitler and helped in the slaughter of Jews and Poles.

 

Only several days ago was it also revealed that the Order of Canada was removed that had honoured yet another Ukrainian-Canadian who had fought in the very same SS Battalion against the Soviet Union for Nazi Germany. The shame that this has brought to Canada's reputation on the world stage is incalculable. None of which seems to concern prime minister Justin Trudeau to any great effect. He blithely goes about his business, scorning those who reproach him for his obtuse ineptitude.

 

India, incensed over Justin Trudeau's charge of state-sponsored murder, has most recently conveyed to Ottawa that it expects 41 of 62 Canadian diplomats to leave their missions in India by the following week. Short of cutting off diplomatic relations entirely in response to an unsubstantiated assault on the dignity and honour of another government's behaviour while an investigation is ongoing, India has voiced its displeasure with its ongoing relationship with a government whose conduct is lacking moral rectitude.

"The prime minister started this in a way that was clever, rather than strategically intelligent. You do not make this kind of accusation against a fellow democracy, not to one that is as influential as India, unless you have very solid incontrovertible evidence. And if you don’t publish something credible, you run the risk of walking into an Indian nationalistic trap."

"[Canada might have clear evidence that India was complicit in the assassination of Nijjar amid reports that the US shared key intelligence]. But having evidence is not enough. International relations are very unforgiving. For a long time, our prime minister has enjoyed a Teflon-like reputation. But once you lose that, you have to be extremely careful."

"Historically, we have not bullied other countries, we have not pushed our way around on the global stage. Now, that image is being challenged and possibly badly damaged."

"It’s unfortunate how avoidable this all was. Canada did not want to have a major confrontation with India, but it’s a basic violation of international relations – if you don’t want something to escalate, don’t start the process in public. And if you do, you have to be prepared to finish that fight."

Professor Aurel Braun, international relations and political science, University of Toronto

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) extends his hand for a handshake with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau during a photo opportunity ahead of their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, February 23, 2018. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo