Canadian funds aren't expected to change their stance on India: Report

Canadian funds aren't expected to change their stance on India: Report

India does not see the diplomatic fallout with Canada over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader impacting its trade ties with the country immediately, a government source said, reported Reuters on October 15.

Canadian funds are also not expected to change their stance on India, the source told Reuters

The India-Canada diplomatic row over the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar escalated further on Tuesday with Ottawa attempting to link the Bishnoi gang with Indian government agents to carry out covert operations in that country and New Delhi stoutly trashing the charges.

As the ties between the two countries hit rock bottom, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly did not rule out imposing sanctions against India saying "everything is on the table".

On its part, India strongly rejected attempts by Canadian authorities to link Indian agents with criminal gangs in Canada.

At a press conference, Trudeau, pointing fingers at India on the Nijjar case, said Canada will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government in threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.

On Monday, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced withdrawing its high commissioner from Canada after dismissing Ottawa's allegations linking the envoy to a probe into the killing of Sikh extremist Nijjar.

Joly, replying to a question at Trudeau's media briefing, did not rule out further action against India.

"So today was a really important step. When you look at what is available in our toolbox, expelling diplomats is one of the highest and toughest measures a country can take under the Vienna convention...Everything is on the table," she said.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar. New Delhi rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd".

In his comments at the media briefing on Monday, Trudeau, referring to findings by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police(RCMP), claimed that it has "clear and compelling evidence that agents of the government of India have engaged in, and continue to engage in, activities that pose a significant threat to public safety".

"This includes clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder. This is unacceptable," he alleged.

The Canadian prime minister said his government's attempts to work with India did not yield any result.

"That is why, this weekend, Canadian officials took an extraordinary step. They met with Indian officials to share RCMP evidence, which concluded six agents of the Government of India are persons of interest in criminal activities," he said.

"And despite repeated requests to the Government of India, they have decided not to co-operate. Given that the Government of India still refuses to cooperate, my colleague, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, had only one choice," Trudeau said.

"Today (Monday), she issued a deportation notice for these six individuals. They must leave Canada. They will no longer be able to act as diplomats in Canada, nor to re-enter Canada, for whatever reason," he said.