Canada’s relations with India—a strategic democratic ally—have taken a hit due to comments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made regarding Indian farmers protesting agricultural reforms. The timing of the diplomatic spat is very poor as is how it reflects on Canada’s skill in conducting its foreign relations, some observers of Indian origin in Canada say.
Speaking on Dec. 1 to celebrate the birth of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Trudeau weighed in on the farmers’ protests, saying “The situation is concerning.”
He added, “Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest … we’ve reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns.”
Opposition leader Erin O’Toole echoed Trudeau’s comments, saying that the Conservatives are aware of the situation and “we will always support people’s right to peacefully protest.”
Hundreds of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, have traveled to Delhi to block streets and highways in protest, while police have confronted them in the name of keeping order. Thousands of Canadians have also rallied in support of the farmers in a handful of cities across Canada.
The main reason Indian farmers are protesting is the new laws that end the government agreement to buy produce at set prices, which forces farmers to deal with the private market.
The current system is blamed for distorted prices, spoiled food, and giving traders a dominating influence in the sector, but many farmers believe it provides price certainty. Critics of the system believe it has stagnated India’s agricultural development.
The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims to move toward a free-market economy for the farmers. The stated goal is to allow them to better control their fortunes and revitalize the massive agricultural sector.
The protests have grown to a substantial size and become a major challenge for Modi, making the timing of Trudeau’s comments particularly irksome to the Indian government.
“From a [Canadian] national interest perspective, it is deeply problematic, that [Canada’s] Prime Minister is somehow now endorsing Indian socialism in the agricultural sector when we all benefit—including Indian farmers—from more marketing freedom for their own products,” Shuvaloy Majumdar, a Munk senior fellow for foreign policy at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, told The Epoch Times.
Comments in support of the protestors from another country are the wrong way to conduct statecraft, Majumdar added.
“It strikes me more that the Prime Minister is pursuing pandering to a particular niche constituency,” he said.
Vivek Dehejia, an economics and philosophy professor at Carleton University, also criticized Trudeau’s stance on the issue.
“This has little to do with the farmers. This stunt will sour relations with India even more than his train wreck of a visit in 2018,” tweeted Dehejia
Majumdar and Dehejia are suggesting Canadian politicians are using this opportunity and plight of the farmers to endear themselves to Sikh-Canadians and a big Punjabi diaspora in Canada to win votes.
