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A spokesperson for Canadian Commerce Minister Mary Ng confirmed the October journey was on maintain amid frosty relations.
Canada has introduced it could postpone an October commerce mission to India, within the midst of strained relations between the 2 international locations.
A spokesperson for Canadian Commerce Minister Mary Ng confirmed the change on Friday, although no cause was provided for the delay.
“Presently, we’re suspending the upcoming commerce mission to India,” the spokesperson, Shanti Cosentino, mentioned.
Earlier within the day, nameless Indian officers additionally informed reporters that negotiations over a trade deal have been on maintain, on account of objections over “political developments in Canada”.
In Might, Ng and her Indian counterpart, Piyush Goyal, had issued a joint assertion saying they hoped to spice up commerce and funding between their two international locations by the 12 months’s finish.
However these talks have hit a number of high-level snags. Most not too long ago, throughout final weekend’s Group of 20 (G20) summit in New Delhi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi selected to not maintain a proper bilateral assembly with Canadian chief Justin Trudeau, a choice many perceived to be a snub.
Modi additionally pulled Trudeau apart to criticise Canada’s dealing with of current Sikh protests.
Movies circulated in June exhibiting a controversial parade float in Brampton, Ontario, that was themed after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The previous Indian prime minister had been killed by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984 after she ordered army motion in opposition to Sikh separatists on the Golden Temple within the state of Punjab.
The parade float sparked furore within the Indian authorities, which referred to as the show a celebration of separatist violence.
On Sunday, in a press launch after Modi’s encounter with Trudeau, the Indian authorities reiterated its “robust issues about persevering with anti-India actions” in Canada.
“Extremist components” within the nation, the press launch mentioned, have been “inciting violence in opposition to Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian group in Canada”.
Nevertheless, since his election in 2014, Modi has been accused of overseeing a rising tide of conservative Hindu nationalism in India, whereas minority teams within the nation increase issues about threats to their human rights.
Canada, in the meantime, has the most important Sikh inhabitants outdoors of Punjab. Amongst them are separatists who hope to create an unbiased Sikh state referred to as Khalistan in northern India.
For his half, Trudeau has defended Canadians’ proper to “freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of peaceable protest”, although he did say he would “push again” in opposition to “hatred”.
He additionally dismissed the size of the protests. “You will need to keep in mind that the actions of the few don’t signify your entire group or Canada,” he mentioned.
However the controversy has solid a pall over Indian-Canadian relations. On September 1, in a shock transfer, Canada mentioned it could pause the commerce treaty talks — one thing Indian officers echoed of their statements to the press on Friday.
The commerce negotiations between the 2 international locations have been taking place on and off since 2010.
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