Some Sask. residents concerned as Canada-India relations take a hit
Consultant fielding several calls a day from worried immigrants
Escalating diplomatic tensions between Canada and India have Saskatchewan immigrants from India concerned.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Indian government made a "fundamental error" as he accused it of supporting a campaign of violence against Canadians on Canadian soil.
The prime minister spoke to reporters on Oct. 14, hours after the head of the RCMP laid out stunning allegations accusing agents of the Indian government of playing a role in "widespread violence," including homicides, in Canada and warned it poses "a serious threat to our public safety."
A senior official in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is alleged to have authorized a campaign to intimidate or kill Canadians, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison told MPs Tuesday.
The government of India continues to reject the RCMP's claim that India is working with mobsters. It claims Canadian officials have provided no evidence and has accused Ottawa of trying to smear New Delhi. Soon after the RCMP made the allegations public, Canada and India each expelled six diplomats.
The back-and-forth between the two countries has left some Saskatchewan residents feeling uncertain. Mohammed Shorifuzzaman, a Saskatoon-based immigration consultant, says his office has been fielding five to six calls a day from worried immigrants.
"People are very, very concerned," he said. "They're also trying to learn what would be the future, what do they do in this situation."
Shorifuzzaman said the lack of diplomats could have an impact on wait times for visa approvals.
Saskatchewan had 15,660 who identified as being of Indian origin in 2021, according to census data. In the five years from 2016 to 2021, India made up 18.4 per cent of total immigrants moving into the province — behind only the Philippines.
Lakshay, who goes by one name, is a Saskatoon resident who immigrated to Canada in 2021.
"If the conditions deteriorate further, the last thing I would want would be my work authorization getting affected," he said.
People CBC interviewed pointed to a similar situation from last year, when tensions between Canada and India escalated to the point where India's visa processing centre in Canada suspended services, halting issuing all categories of visas for Canadian citizens.
That service resumed in two months, but these new accusations have only widened the rift between the two countries, some residents say.
The push for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India, called Khalistan, plays a central role in the tension. Experts have described the Khalistan debate as complex, evolving and deeply emotional.
Indian officials have accused their Western counterparts — particularly Canada — of failing to intervene as pro-Khalistan groups threaten the Indian government, led by Modi's Hindu-nationalist party.
Such separatist groups include the one supported by Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader and Canadian citizen shot dead on June 18, 2023. Nijjar, who was president of the gurdwara, had been branded by the Indian government as a "terrorist" and accused of leading a militant separatist group, something his supporters have denied.
Trudeau has said Canada's national security apparatus has "credible" reason to believe "agents of the Indian government" carried out the killing. India's ministry of external affairs issued a statement rejecting Trudeau's allegations, calling them "absurd."
The RCMP said in its Oct. 14 briefing that there have been more than a dozen credible and imminent threats to members of the South Asian community, in particular Sikh members of the pro-Khalistan movement.
Lakshay, who is Hindu, said he fears that the fractured relations could drive a wedge within the South Asian community — between Sikh people and other Indian religious groups.
"I've never faced any kind of issues here and never have I ever seen any kind of tension between the two communities, but when I go over the internet I definitely see it in other parts of Canada," he said.
Anusuya Datta came to Canada with her 20-year-old son to join her partner, Deepan Dasgupta, in 2020. She said she's seen an increase in divisive rhetoric online, but doesn't believe it reflects reality.
"Of course these online hateful folks are also clubbing all non-Sikh Indians on one side as if this is a Sikh versus non-Sikh issue," she said.
Datta said she worries the conflict could fan anti-immigrant sentiment outside the community.
"There has been a rise in anti-immigrant rants, and so this will just feed in," she said. "I am a little apprehensive that it is going to feed to the extreme right-wing folks also and possibly a lot of borderline cases also, so it's not a very comfortable situation."
Dasgupta came to Canada in 2019. He spoke while sitting inside his house and noted that a Sikh friend helped him get the place.
"The whole of the Indian community was wondering what's happening, who's doing what — there are no sides to be taken," he said.
He said the conflict between the two countries leaves immigrants like him, who consider both places home,in an awkward spot.
"You are literally caught between the crossfire. You don't know which side to take and you feel guilty. Then again, you feel almost vulnerable."
Lakshay, Dasgupta, and Datta all said they hope for a swift resolution, for both countries to work toward having healthy diplomatic relationships and for a continued harmonious relationship within the Indian community.
This story is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your connection to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, Leisha Grebinski and Nichole Huck will cover local issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping policy and fuelling creativity in Saskatchewan.
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