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Immigrants from India living in Canada say they are feeling the effects of the strained relationship between the two countries.
Earlier this week, Trudeau accused the government of India of playing a part in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death in Surrey, B.C., in June. The government of India denied the allegations, calling them “absurd,” and went on to call Canada a “safe haven” for people it deems terrorists and extremists.
Then, on Thursday, India paused its services for Canadian citizens trying to obtain a visa to go to India.
Some Saskatchewan residents who immigrated from India say that as they grapple with the ongoing dialogue between the two countries, they also must reassure their families back home that they’re not in danger.
Tejas Vijay came to Canada about two years ago to study as a film student at the University of Regina. Now, he said, his family back home is concerned about him being in Canada and about what possible impending announcements the governments might make.
“If anything happens, it’s going to be a big problem for us,” Vijay said.
Concerning impacts
The total population of people living in Saskatchewan who identify as being of Indian origin was 15,660 in 2021, according to census data. In the five years from 2016 to 2021, immigrants from India made up 18.4 per cent of total immigrants moving into the province — behind only immigrants from the Philippines.
Vijay said his two homes — India and Canada — being at loggerheads is worrying.
“Without immigrants, without workers, Canada is not going to be able to sustain and grow in the way that it’s growing right now,” he said.
Saskatchewan’s exports to India are worth more than $1 billion to the provincial economy and make up roughly one-third of Canada’s total exports to the South Asian country. Saskatchewan also has a trade and investment office in New Delhi.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has said the issues between Canada and India relate to India’s alleged interference in the death of a Canadian national, and should be kept separate from its trade relationship with the country.
A community divided
Nijjar was one of the leaders of a group that pushes for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India called Khalistan. However, it’s a movement that’s considered to be terrorism by the government of India.
Nijjar was a wanted man and was designated as a terrorist by India in 2020.
India’s advisory for students and Indian nationals living in Canada says there has been a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes and asks them to remain vigilant and observe caution.
The statement does not detail what these hate crimes are.
WATCH l A long-simmering dispute with periodic eruptions of violence:
The National breaks down Canada’s connection to the movement calling for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan and how it contributed to tensions between Canada and India even before Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed. Plus, CBC’s Salimah Shivji explains how the Khalistan movement resonates in India.
Gurbeer Singh, a Regina resident, came to Canada as a student in 2017. Singh said India’s advisory adds insult to injury. He said India’s response is targeted at Sikhs, painting them as extremists, which puts them in a vulnerable position — even within the Indian community.
“They are covering that up by putting the false narrative that we are the terrorists, we are the ones demanding a separate land and we are the ones who will be violent in the future,” Singh said. “How do they determine that? Where do these conclusions come from?”
Singh said he’s worried about what’s to come.
“We’ll always be afraid of things like what if India bans you or what if they do something like you come to the airport and they grab you,” Singh said. “So that’s why you feel like sometimes going back home will always be challenging and who knows what will happen.”
Another Saskatoon resident from India, Lakshay, is an international student at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Lakshay doesn’t belong to the Sikh community, but he said the back-and-forth between the two countries is creating a divide within the Indian community.
“It is very sad to see my Hindu and Punjabi brothers going up against each other because we all come from the same country. We are here as immigrants. We should support each other to grow further, but things are going in an opposite way,” he said.
Front Burner24:05Did India kill a Canadian Sikh leader in B.C.?
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot and killed outside his gurdwara in Surrey in June just after evening prayers. While the Sikh community has been urging investigators to get the bottom of what happened, it’s been quiet until a bombshell announcement from Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday: Canada believes there are “credible allegations” the Indian government was behind it. Since then it’s been a diplomatic firestorm. Diplomats are being pulled from both Canada and India and Canada’s allies are weighing next moves. But who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar and why do some, particularly members of the Sikh community, believe the Indian government wanted him dead? Jaskaran Sandhu from Baaz News and the World Sikh Organization takes us through who Nijjar was, the reasons he feared for his life and the long-standing tensions between India and the Sikh community. For transcripts of this series, please visit:
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