Canada pulls 41 diplomats out of India; accuses New Delhi of breaching Vienna Convention

Canada pulls 41 diplomats out of India, says New Delhi being unreasonable

In response to India's threats to revoke the official status of 41 Canadian diplomats if they do not leave, the Foreign Minister of Canada, Melanie Joly, has facilitated the departure of those diplomats.

New Delhi, last month, asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited what he said was credible evidence of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder in June of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, who was shot outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.

Jean Joly, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, has confirmed that India has said to revoke the diplomatic immunities of all but 21 of Canada's diplomats and dependent personnel in Delhi by October 20 if they do not leave.

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According to Joly, this is an unreasonable and unprecedented measure and is in breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. At a press conference on Thursday, she stated that Canada has facilitated the safe departure of the 41 diplomats in India and that if diplomatic immunity is violated, no diplomats in the world will be safe.

Speaking at a press conference in Ottawa on October 19, Joly said, “I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unilaterally remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by tomorrow, October 20.”

"Given the implications of India's actions on the safety of our diplomats, we have facilitated their safe departure from India," she added.

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"If we allow the norm of diplomatic immunity to be broken, no diplomats anywhere on the planet would be safe. So for this reason, we will not reciprocate," she said.

Canada now has 21 diplomats in India. The 41 who left were accompanied by 42 dependents.

The Canadian government had initially set a deadline of October 10 to reduce the number of diplomats in India but allowed the deadline to lapse while attempting to negotiate privately with India. However, these negotiations have not been successful. Despite this, Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Payette has stated that Canada will "continue to engage" with India, noting that it is essential to have diplomats in the field and to communicate with each other. Joly has also declared that Canada will remain committed to upholding international law and will continue to dialogue with India.

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Joly said, “Canada will continue to defend international law, which applies equally to all states. Canada will continue to engage India and remains committed to dialogue as we move forward.”

Global Affairs Canada has stated that this mass expulsion will have a negative impact on their operations and client service.

“India’s decision will impact levels of services to citizens of both countries. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will continue to accept and process applications from India. However, certain application requirements will need to be completed locally or on-site in a secure environment. As a result, the reduction in the size of the IRCC team will affect service standards for residents of India,” the statement elaborated.

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India has dismissed as absurd Trudeau's suspicions that its agents were linked to the murder of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen whom New Delhi had labelled a "terrorist."

Approximately 2 million Canadians, or approximately 5% of the total population, are of Indian descent. India is Canada's most significant source of international students, accounting for approximately 40% of all study permit holders. At the press conference, Immigration Minister Marc Miller declared that the diplomats' departure would result in a reduction in the number of embassy personnel dealing with immigration in Canada.

Miller expressed Canada's sympathy for the distress this situation may cause to individuals, families, institutions, communities, and businesses in the country. He noted that the visa application centers in India, which are operated by external contractors, would not be impacted.