Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Jul, 2023 11:52 AM
  • Joly concerned for safety of India's diplomats, calls protest poster 'unacceptable

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday she is concerned about the safety of India's diplomats following what she called an "unacceptable" poster for an upcoming protest in Toronto.

The poster is the latest in a string of problems in recent weeks that have increased tension between Ottawa and New Delhi over Sikh separatists in Canada.

The upcoming protest is planned in memory of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was killed last month in a shooting in Surrey, B.C. Niijar was a vocal opponent of India and supporter of an independent Sikh state, but police say they have found no link to India in their investigation.

The protest is to begin Saturday at the Great Punjab Business Centre in Mississauga, Ont. and end at the Indian consulate near downtown Toronto.

A poster for the event circulating on social media includes photos of India's top two diplomats in Canada — High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and Toronto Consul General Apoorva Srivastava — and refers to them as "the faces of Niijar's killers in Toronto."

The poster also includes the words "kill India."

In a Monday evening tweet, Joly said Canada takes its international obligations to uphold the safety of foreign diplomats "very seriously." She said Canada is in touch with Indian officials about the promotional materials for the protest "which are unacceptable."

New Delhi has long accused Canada of harbouring extremists who want to carve out a state within India, but Ottawa says that freedom of speech means groups can voice political opinions if they don't use violence.

Similar concerns raised ahead of Trudeau's state visit to India in 2018 contributed to the trip's difficulties. Trudeau may travel to India again later this year as the G20 leaders' summit is scheduled for New Delhi in September.

Last month, India's foreign minister condemned a parade float in Brampton, Ont. that portrayed the 1984 assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

Indian media have reported that the high commission in Ottawa has formally asked the Canadian government to enhance protection for its senior diplomats, such as through escorts. The Canadian Press has asked the diplomatic mission to confirm these reports.

Earlier this year Verma raised concerns about a rowdy March 23 protest by Sikh groups at the high commission. While Indian media reported the use of grenades, Ottawa Police say they instead are "investigating the possible use of smoke canisters during the protest." Their investigation is ongoing.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Lack of B.C. transplant surgeons means donated kidneys are sent elsewhere: doctors

Lack of B.C. transplant surgeons means donated kidneys are sent elsewhere: doctors
Dr. David Harriman, a kidney transplant surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, said between eight and 10 surgeons are needed in B.C. so residents waiting for a kidney can benefit from the organs that were donated in the province. The B.C. Health Ministry said the province had six kidney transplant surgeons in 2018. 

Lack of B.C. transplant surgeons means donated kidneys are sent elsewhere: doctors

New Chinese Canadian Museum opens its doors in historic Vancouver Chinatown building

New Chinese Canadian Museum opens its doors in historic Vancouver Chinatown building
The museum opens its permanent location in Chinatown's historic Wing Sang Building after more than six years of planning, starting with then-premier John Horgan mandating the province's Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry to establish the institution.  

New Chinese Canadian Museum opens its doors in historic Vancouver Chinatown building

Family appeals to public on one-year anniversary of Port Coquitlam shooting

Family appeals to public on one-year anniversary of Port Coquitlam shooting
Around 1 A-M on June 30th last year, police responded to reports of gunshots. Officers arrived to find 37-year old Mehdi “Damian” Eslahian suffering from gunshot wounds outside a home in Port Coquitlam, and he died at the scene.

Family appeals to public on one-year anniversary of Port Coquitlam shooting

B.C. must urgently change forest strategies or face more wildfire disasters: report

B.C. must urgently change forest strategies or face more wildfire disasters: report
British Columbia's independent forests watchdog is calling for the provincial government to make critical changes to how it manages forests to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. It comes as the largest wildfire in the province's history, the Donnie Creek wildfire, continues to burn out of control in the remote northeast.  

B.C. must urgently change forest strategies or face more wildfire disasters: report

BOC outlook survey

BOC outlook survey
The Bank of Canada's latest business outlook survey suggests businesses still anticipate larger-than-normal wage and price increases over the next year. The central bank reports expectations are shifting closer to what they were before the pandemic.

BOC outlook survey

B.C. health authority issues drug alert after benzodiazepines found in vape juice

B.C. health authority issues drug alert after benzodiazepines found in vape juice
Fraser Health issued an overdose alert Thursday saying the juice that tested positive contained cannabis and suspected synthetic cannabinoids and was sold in refillable, unmarked and unbranded cartridges. It did not specify where the product was sold.

B.C. health authority issues drug alert after benzodiazepines found in vape juice