As spat builds, India claims students at risk in Canada despite envoy avowing safety
India is warning students headed to Canada of security risks just weeks after its top envoy highlighted their safety, as diplomacy and intelligence experts warn a months-long diplomatic row with India is only just beginning.
The building spat undergirds calls for more transparency and a deeper look at how Canada tackles foreign interference.
"The work needs to be done in-house, to make sure that we're in a position that next time any state tries to interfere to this extent, that we're able to detect and disrupt that operation," said Jessica Davis, a counterterrorism expert.
Tensions flared after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that Canadian intelligence services are investigating "a potential link" between India's government and the death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.
India calls those claims "absurd and motivated," leading Trudeau to urge India to take the allegations seriously and co-operate with a police investigation.
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Capital Dispatch: Sign up for the latest in federal politics and why it matters
Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat Monday, and India has responded in kind, while claiming the move came out of concerns that Canada is harbouring extremists who want a separate country for Sikhs.
On Wednesday, India announced a travel advisory for its citizens, warning them to "exercise utmost caution" in Canada due to "growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada," without providing examples.
"Given the deteriorating security environment in Canada, Indian students in particular are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant," the advisory reads.
India is the largest source of foreign students for Canadian post-secondary institutions, many of which rely on their higher tuition payments to fund costs for domestic students.
The Tuesday statement came three weeks after India's high commissioner to Canada insisted that he had no major concerns about his country's students in Canada, other than "possibilities of fraud."
In an interview with The Canadian Press on Aug. 31, Verma mentioned the exploitation of students working in Canada as the only safety concern he had.
"We are trying to learn from each other through dialogue with our Canadian counterparts as to what could be loopholes in the system," he said.
Verma added that Ottawa and New Delhi had been looking at a "framework on mobility" to prevent fraud, to ensure that employers don't run afoul of Canadian laws.
Hours after India's advisory, Immigration Minister Marc Miller dismissed the new claims, saying it's important to maintain calm in Canada but the country remains safe.
"People should read that statement for what it is," he told reporters on Parliament Hill. "Canada by any standard is one of the safest, if not the safest, country in the world that is governed by the rule of law."
Nevertheless, Roland Paris, who leads the University of Ottawa graduate school of international affairs, says a chill with India is likelyjust starting, and it's unclear whether those tensions will get better or worse as the investigation of Nijjar's death continues.
"We're at the early stages of this period of diplomatic tension between the two countries," he said in an interview.
"It will be difficult, now that the Indian government has so publicly dug in their heels and offered a categorical denial of these allegations."
Nijjar was shot outside his gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., on June 18. Members of the Sikh community have accused the Indian government of being behind the killing and attempting to silence voices advocating for an independent Sikh country.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Tuesday that the RCMP has a plan to look after members of Canada's Sikh community, and he has instructed CSIS to share any pertinent information about Nijjar's death with police.
Some of Canada's closest allies have expressed concern and support for an investigation, but have resisted condemning India.
The White House has rebuffed a Washington Post report that Canada made unsuccessful overtures asking the U.S. and others to publicly condemn the killing.
"Reports that we rebuffed Canada in any way on this are flatly false. We are co-ordinating and consulting with Canada closely on this issue," spokeswoman National Security Council wrote on Twitter, while not condemning India.
"This is a serious matter and we support Canada's ongoing law enforcement efforts. We are also engaging the Indian government."
Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Trudeau, said it's unclearwhether India will further retaliate against Canada, such as by blocking trade or delaying visas. He notedOttawa might take similar steps against India.
"It looks like they were really trying to work back channels and use behind-the-scenes diplomacy to produce results directly with the Indians, and with the help of close Canadian allies. That clearly didn't work in the end," he said.
But Paris noted India and Canada typically think of themselves as friends, despite long-standing tensions over Sikh separatists.
"I don't anticipate a lot of movement unless more information comes to light," he said.
Xavier Delgado, a Canada analyst with the Wilson Center in Washington, noted that the episode may impede Ottawa's efforts to join the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework.
"The tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats from Ottawa and New Delhi is likely the first, not last, step towards a new diplomatic normal," Delgado wrote in a Wednesday analysis note.
Carleton University professor Vivek Dehejia studies Canada-India bilateral relations, which he said are in a "deep freeze" after Trudeau's "bombshell" announcement.
"This is really the lowest ebb we've been at with India in forever, to be honest," the economist said.
Dehejia said relations have been strained since Trudeau's "disastrous" 2018 trip to India, where he wore a "Bollywood trunk show wardrobe" and Canada's high commission allowed a convicted terrorist to appear on a reception guest list.
But he said Canada remains important for India since it's a G7 country with a huge diaspora chock-full of personal and business relationships.
Davis said Canada has existing laws that can prevent foreign-interference activities, but they're not always used. She said Canada could also send a message that it takes meddling seriously by fulfilling promises to launch both a beneficial ownership registry and a foreign-agent registry.
"We have a lot of room for improvement, but we are also facing a bit of a changing geopolitical context, that maybe we haven't entirely woken up to yet," said Davis, the head of Insight Threat Intelligence.
She said it's hard to craft policy that deals with threats that are "difficult to quantify in the short term."
"Our law enforcement security services have taken it quite seriously for a good number of years," she said. "The problem comes when you try to get the attention of policymakers, either senior bureaucrats or elected officials."
Davis, a former analyst for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said Canada could also share more information about threats, arguing there is a tendency to keep silent and to only name-and-shame states for political gain.
"They need to provide a little bit more (detail on the Nijjar case) so that we can verify the allegations to a certain extent," Davis said.
"There's going to be real limits on that, obviously, because of the nature of the intelligence; some of it may not even be ours to share," she said.
On Monday, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Trudeau to share more information about the intelligence Ottawa has on the Nijjar case, and former Liberal foreign minister Marc Garneau similarly said the government ought to back up the claim with more detail.
Paris saidthe entire issue underscores the importance of addressing foreign interference writ large.
"It's a much more dangerous world that we're living in, and we cannot rely as extensively as we have in the past on our allies. We really need to make sure that we're protecting Canadians in this."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.
-- With files from Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton.
IN DEPTH

Billions for home building back-loaded, deficit projected at $40B in 2023-24: fall economic statement
The federal government's fiscal update presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on Tuesday includes billions of dollars in new spending and targeted policy measures aimed at increasing Canada's housing supply in the years ahead.
Canada doubling carbon price rebate rural top-up, pausing charge on heating oil: Trudeau
The Canadian government is doubling the pollution price rebate rural top-up rate, and implementing a three-year pause to the federal carbon price on deliveries of heating oil in all jurisdictions where the federal fuel charge is in effect, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
As it happened: Zelenskyy visits Canada, addresses Parliament as PM pledges $650M in Ukraine aid
During his historic visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered repeated thanks to Canada for its continued support for his country as it continues to defend itself from Russia's invasion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada will be making a $650 million 'multi-year commitment' for further Ukraine aid. Recap CTVNews.ca's minute-by-minute updates.
ANALYSIS What do the policies Poilievre's party passed say about the Conservatives' future?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre spent the summer speaking about housing affordability, a core focus that attendees at the party's Quebec City convention were quick to praise him for. But by the end of the weekend, delegates opted to instead pass policies on contentious social issues. What does that say about the Conservatives' future?
Justin Trudeau and wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau separating, after 18 years of marriage
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife are separating after 18 years of marriage, and while they plan to co-parent their children, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau will no longer be considered the prime minister's spouse in any official capacity.
Opinion

opinion Don Martin: With Trudeau resignation fever rising, a Conservative nightmare appears
With speculation rising that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will follow his father's footsteps in the snow to a pre-election resignation, political columnist Don Martin focuses on one Liberal cabinet minister who's emerging as leadership material -- and who stands out as a fresh-faced contrast to the often 'angry and abrasive' leader of the Conservatives.
OPINION Don Martin: For squandering their hard-earned income tax, we owe our kids an apology
'Its bi-annual work of fiscal fiction rolled out Tuesday as the fall update staged a desperate bid to reverse the Liberals' downward spiral in the polls while trying to soften its drunken-sailor-spending image.'
OPINION Don Martin: Life in Trudeau's brain defies imagination
Getting inside Justin Trudeau's head these days requires a vivid imagination. The prime minister's bizarre statement on the Middle East war this week reflects a distorted view that human-shielded resistance by Hamas terrorists can be overcome with "maximum restraint" by Israel's military.
OPINION Don Martin: As much as Poilievre wants it, he will not get his election wish for 2023
It’s been 100+ hours of brutal aftermath since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turned carbon pricing from a national principle into regional graft by lifting the tax on home heating oil and using free heat pumps to buy back the Liberal loyalty of Atlantic Canada voters.
OPINION Don Martin: It's flip-flop or die as Trudeau retreats on universal carbon pricing
With this week’s flip-flop lifting on carbon pricing for heating oil until 2027 (pushing increases beyond the next election) and a doubling of the rural tax rebate, the severely rattled Liberals are chipping away at the load-bearing wall beneath their environmental platform, Don Martin writes.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

NHL veteran Perry apologizes for 'inappropriate' behaviour, says he is seeking help
Corey Perry says he has started seeking help for his struggles with alcohol following his release from the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.
BREAKING Claims of toxic workplace at CSIS absolutely 'devastating': PM says
Allegations of a toxic workplace culture, involving harassment and sexual assault at Canada's spy agency are 'devastating' and 'absolutely unacceptable,' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday.
Alberta set for $5.5B budget surplus, despite big bucks for fires, floods and drought
Alberta’s budget surplus is growing but will be offset by more than $1 billion this year to pay for floods, forest fires and drought.
TREND LINE Liberals and NDP tied in ballot support, Conservatives 19 points ahead: Nanos
The governing minority Liberals' decline in the polls has now placed them in a tie for support with their confidence-and-supply partners the NDP, while the Conservatives are now 19 points ahead, according Nanos' latest ballot tracking.
Here's when Canada Post says you should send out your holiday packages
Canada Post had released a holiday guide on when Canadians should mail out their packages.
2023 Atlantic hurricane season ends; finishes 4th for most-named storms
The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season comes to an end on Thursday as the fourth
More Israeli hostages freed by Hamas as truce in Gaza lasts another day
Hamas began freeing Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of a last-minute deal to extend their ceasefire in Gaza by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages.
What to know about the Sikh independence movement following U.S. accusation that activist was targeted
The U.S. has charged an Indian national in what prosecutors allege was a failed plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist at the behest of an unnamed Indian government official.
Alternative healer faces manslaughter charge over woman's death at a U.K. slapping therapy workshop
An alternative healer who advocates a technique known as 'slapping therapy' was charged Thursday over the death of a woman at one of his workshops in England seven years ago.