Canadian Senate Speaker Opts Out Of P20 Event In India Amid Diplomatic Tensions

At a time when diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné opted out of the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) hosted by India.

“We invite all members to G20 events. P20 participation is their decision and a subject to a number of factors. Ask them. I will have to check with them whether anybody is actually attending from Canada because I think that the Canadian Parliament Speaker could not attend,” said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

The P-20 Summit is being held at Dwarka’s India International Convention and Expo Centre, also known as Yashobhoomi from October 12-14.

The relations between India and Canada hit an all-time low after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged, in his Parliament, the involvement of a “foreign agent” in the killing of Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He even claimed that he had intelligence inputs and evidence that the Indian government could be behind Nijjar’s death.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently spoke to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and King of Jordan Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and discussed India and the “importance of upholding the law.

Responding to a query on Trudeau’s mention of India in his talks with world leaders, Bagchi said, “I don’t know how it helps to address the core issue. The core issue is the space given by Canada to terrorists and criminal elements. As regards upholding international conventions that came up in conversation some of them. We would urge Canada to take more seriously their international obligation to provide security to our diplomats and their premises. From our part, I can assure everything India is doing is in compliance with Vienna conventions on diplomatic relations.”

According to the Canadian government, during the talks with Al-Hussein, Trudeau provided an update on the situation between Canada and India, underscoring the importance of “respecting the rule of law and the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations”.

In a post on X earlier, Trudeau said he held a phone call with UAE President Mohamed Bin Zayed and discussed the ongoing crisis with India and the importance of upholding the rule of law.

Trudeau, who visited India during the G20 Summit last month, raised the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India rejected his allegations and termed them as “absurd” and “politically driven”.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed by unidentified gunmen outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, on June 18. He was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force and was designated a terrorist by the Indian government under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in 2020. Interpol had also issued a red corner notice against him quite a few times, the first one being in 2016.