By – Prakarsh Kastwar
Due to the suspension of trade negotiations and worries over pro-Khalistan actions, the Canadian trade mission to India has been postponed indefinitely.
The Early Progress Trade Agreement, or EPTA, was put on “pause” by the Canadian government in August. As of right now, a trade mission to India that was supposed to take place in October has been postponed indefinitely.
The five-day Team Canada trade trip was scheduled to launch on October 9 under the direction of Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business, and Economic Development Mary Ng. However, it was delayed, according to Canadian media on Friday. In this regard, the Canadian Press agency cited Ng’s office, adding that it provided no explanation for the delay. A top Indian official claimed that the media was the sole source by which they learned of the decision.
The declaration came hours after New Delhi officials claimed that trade negotiations with Canada had been put on hold until subversive operations were permitted inside of Canadian territory.
A top official had previously informed the Hindustan Times that “New Delhi will not engage in trade talks with any country that allows subversive activities against India or its people.”
When Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal paid a bilateral visit to Canada in May of this year, the trade mission was announced.
This delay is the most recent instance of the relationship’s breakdown due to pro-Khalistan efforts in Canada. During their pull-aside discussion in Delhi on the sidelines of the G20 leaders’ conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau New Delhi’s “strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada.” Sikhs for Justice, a secessionist organization, rapidly organized the so-called Khalistan Referendum at a gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia, and then declared a second round of voting for October 29 in the same city.
Goldy Hyder, President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, responded to the news that the trade mission had been temporarily canceled by saying, “Canada and India share a deeply entrenched and mutually beneficial economic cooperation with a strong past and a bright future. Despite occasional political conflicts, we anticipate that this alliance will endure.
The BCC chief continued, “Disputes tend to work themselves out as we have seen with other bilateral relations.”