Some Sask. residents concerned as Canada-India relations take a hit
CBC
Escalating diplomatic tensions between Canada and India have Saskatchewan immigrants from India concerned.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Indian government made a "fundamental error" as he accused it of supporting a campaign of violence against Canadians on Canadian soil.
The prime minister spoke to reporters on Oct. 14, hours after the head of the RCMP laid out stunning allegations accusing agents of the Indian government of playing a role in "widespread violence," including homicides, in Canada and warned it poses "a serious threat to our public safety."
A senior official in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is alleged to have authorized a campaign to intimidate or kill Canadians, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison told MPs Tuesday.
The government of India continues to reject the RCMP's claim that India is working with mobsters. It claims Canadian officials have provided no evidence and has accused Ottawa of trying to smear New Delhi. Soon after the RCMP made the allegations public, Canada and India each expelled six diplomats.
The back-and-forth between the two countries has left some Saskatchewan residents feeling uncertain. Mohammed Shorifuzzaman, a Saskatoon-based immigration consultant, says his office has been fielding five to six calls a day from worried immigrants.
"People are very, very concerned," he said. "They're also trying to learn what would be the future, what do they do in this situation."
Shorifuzzaman said the lack of diplomats could have an impact on wait times for visa approvals.
Saskatchewan had 15,660 who identified as being of Indian origin in 2021, according to census data. In the five years from 2016 to 2021, India made up 18.4 per cent of total immigrants moving into the province — behind only the Philippines.
Lakshay, who goes by one name, is a Saskatoon resident who immigrated to Canada in 2021.
"If the conditions deteriorate further, the last thing I would want would be my work authorization getting affected," he said.
People CBC interviewed pointed to a similar situation from last year, when tensions between Canada and India escalated to the point where India's visa processing centre in Canada suspended services, halting issuing all categories of visas for Canadian citizens.
That service resumed in two months, but these new accusations have only widened the rift between the two countries, some residents say.
The push for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India, called Khalistan, plays a central role in the tension. Experts have described the Khalistan debate as complex, evolving and deeply emotional.
