New Delhi: Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagné’s decision to skip the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit (P20) in New Delhi from 12-14 October is the latest development in the ongoing diplomatic spat between India and Canada. While Gagné’s office says her “busy agenda” prevented her from travelling this week, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) assured that all G20 members were extended invitations and that the onus of participation fell on Ottawa.
Tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa hit a high after the latter alleged Indian agents were involved in the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In an email to ThePrint Thursday, Vince MacNeil, Chief of Staff at the Parliament of Canada, defended Gagné’s absence by saying: “The Speaker has a very busy agenda this week, making it impossible to travel abroad.”
Hours earlier, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a weekly press briefing: “We invite all members for G20 events and in this case, the P20. Participation is their decision… I think you should ask them. I have to check if anybody is actually attending from Canada because I think the Parliament Speaker could not attend.”
A week prior, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla claimed the Canadian side had confirmed its participation in the P20 event. However, MacNeil did not offer clarity or confirmation that this happened.
The P20 summit is being hosted by India under the broader framework of its G20 Presidency.
‘Have been in touch with Canadians at various levels’
In the briefing, the MEA spokesperson did not confirm nor deny reports that Canadian diplomats will remain in India despite being given a “deadline” to leave or that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Canadian counterpart Melanie Joly held a secret meeting in Washington to discuss the diplomatic spat between their two countries weeks ago.
“We remain committed to what we said that is ensuring parity in our diplomatic presence. We remain engaged with Canadian authorities on the modalities on that,” Bagchi said, reiterating his comments from last week’s briefing.
Reports have surfaced in recent weeks that about 40 Canadian diplomats were asked to leave by 10 October. This came after the MEA announced on 21 September that it had told Ottawa to reduce their strength of diplomats in the country as they far outnumber Indian envoys in Canada.
On the reported interaction between Jaishankar and Joly in Washington, the spokesperson said: “We have been in touch with the Canadians at various levels. Regarding any specific interaction, I don’t have any particular information to share.”
Asked to comment on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raising the India-Canada diplomatic spat with other world leaders such as the UAE President Monday, the MEA said this doesn’t help address the crux of the diplomatic spat.
“I don’t know how this helps address the core issue which is that space is given by Canada to terrorists and criminal elements,” Bagchi said.
“We would urge Canada to take more seriously their international obligations to provide security to our diplomats and their premises. From our part, I can assure you that everything India is doing is in compliance with Vienna conventions on diplomatic relations,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: No Canadian diplomat has left India so far, talks on parity an ‘ongoing process’ with no deadline