Canada starts reducing diplomatic staff in India

A spokesman for the Canadian High Commission stated on Friday that the reduction in the number of Indian employees was required in light of the country’s shrinking Canadian workforce Image Courtesy AFP

Many Indian employees of Canada’s missions in India have been trimmed, following months of pressure from New Delhi to decrease Ottawa’s diplomatic workforce.

A spokesman for the Canadian High Commission stated on Friday that the reduction in the number of Indian employees was required in light of the country’s shrinking Canadian workforce.

“I can confirm that the Government of Canada has implemented some staff reductions across our network of missions in India,” the official said.

“The decision to implement reductions across our network of missions in India was sadly necessary given the reduction of Canadian staff available to effectively manage and maintain in-country operations.”

The spokesperson said the high commission expresses its sincere gratitude for the resilience, dedication and service of its local staff in India.

“Canada will continue to deliver core services to Canadians in India, including consular support and for trade and business development so that the citizens of our two countries can continue to benefit from the longstanding ties between Canadians and Indians,” the official said.

“We can also confirm that Canada’s visa application centres in India are operating as normal,” the spokesperson added.

Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusations in September of a “potential” role for Indian operatives in the June 18 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, ties between India and Canada became severely strained.

India dismissed Trudeau’s accusations as “absurd”.

India requested that Ottawa reduce its diplomatic presence in the nation to maintain parity a few days following Trudeau’s accusations.

Canada then removed 41 diplomats from India, along with their families.