Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday reiterated his stance on the ongoing farmers’ protest against farm laws in India amid worsening ties between the two nations. On Friday, he said once again, “Canada will always defend the right to peaceful protest and human rights.”
In response to a question, he said: “Canada will always defend the right to peaceful protest anywhere in the world. We are pleased to see movements towards de-escalation and dialogue.”
Earlier, India issued a motion to the High Commissioner of Canada on Prime Minister Trudeau’s comments on the protests. Trudeau had said: “I would be remiss if I didn’t start by also acknowledging the news coming from India about the farmers’ protest. The situation is worrying and we are all very concerned about family and friends. “
The Canadian High Commissioner was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) and reported that comments made by the Canadian Prime Minister, some Cabinet Ministers and members of the Canadian Parliament on issues related to Indian farmers constitute “unacceptable interference in internal affairs of India. ”
“Comments by Canadian leaders about Indian farmers constitute ‘unacceptable interference’ in our internal affairs,” the Foreign Ministry (MEA) said in a statement.
Dismissing the comments made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the farmers’ protest, the MEA called it “misinformed” and “unjustified.” “Such actions, if continued, would have a seriously damaging impact on ties between India and Canada,” the MEA said.
“These comments have encouraged meetings of extremist activities in front of our High Commission and Consulates in Canada that raise security issues. We hope that the Canadian government guarantees maximum security for Indian diplomatic personnel and its political leaders refrain from pronouncements that legitimize extremist activism, ”said the MEA.
Trudeau had made the remarks while participating in a virtual video interaction hosted by Canadian MP Bardish Chagger to mark the 551st birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion.
In his opening remarks during the interaction, he said: “I know this is a reality for many of you. Let me remind you that Canada will always be there to defend the right to peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that is why we we have communicated through multiple means directly with the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns. “
Canadian Ministers Navdeep Bains and Harjit Sajjan and members of the Sikh community also attended the event.
Canada has a large number of members of the Indian diaspora, many from the state of Punjab in northern India. A fringe element is known to have supported the cause of Khalistan, a separate homeland for Sikhs, and carried out a series of terrorist attacks.
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This is not the first time the Canadian prime minister has gotten into trouble with Delhi. In 2017, he was present at the Khalsa Day parade that attracts extremist elements. In 2018, during his week-long visit to India, the presence of convicted Khalistani terrorist Jaspal Atwal at a reception drew criticism.
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