Trudeau’s India Problem
I read “Heavy Meddle” (December 2023), Sushant Singh’s examination of Canada–India diplomatic relations surrounding Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder, with great interest. Singh is an important critic of the emerging Hindu Rashtra (Hindu state) in India. However, there is a lacuna in Singh’s reporting: Trudeau’s failed India policy. Trudeau has, since his rather embarrassing 2018 visit to India, where he was mocked for cultural appropriation (wearing Bollywood-style Indian clothing), conducted domestic politics via foreign policy. His policy toward India is geared not to further India–Canada relations but rather to appease his Canadian Sikh constituency. Given that he is dependent on NDP leader Jagmeet Singh—who, as the writer points out, has “made statements that can be seen as being pro-Khalistan”—for his political future, his current posture toward India appears more like a desperate attempt to preserve his minority government than to advance Canada’s interests in the critical Indo-Pacific region. Rising powers from the Global South, such as Saudi Arabia, China, and now India, have found Trudeau, the leader of a G7 nation, an easy target to bully. Trudeau, I fear, has repeatedly undermined Canada’s international stature.
