India-Canada Feud Could Drive New Polarization

An unexpected flareup that few have prepared for

“Horrific mistake.”

“Cavalier behavior.”

The back-and-forth between Canada and India is worsening after the Canadian government expelled six Indian diplomats, including India’s top representative in Canada. In response, India expelled six Canadian diplomats, including Canada’s interim ambassador to India.

The diplomatic rift erupted after Canada’s national police service, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), published a report that accused the Indian government of engaging in violence across Canada. Added to this, Ottawa has said that India’s top envoy to Canada is a “person of interest” in the ongoing RCMP investigations. This means the Canadian government is investigating the top diplomat of another nation on the basis of crime.

Who is right or wrong aside, the India-Canada fight is a new “jolt” to the world stage. It is an unexpected fight, that few thought would escalate so quickly and so dramatically.

There is now a complete diplomatic breakdown between India and Canada.