Canada-India tensions spell trouble for trade growth, investment: business leaders
The escalating tension between Canada and India is jeopardizing delicate trade and investment relationships that the two sides have been working for years to advance, business leaders said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in the killing of a man wanted by authorities in that country. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist and Canadian citizen, was gunned down in June outside a Sikh temple in suburban Vancouver.
The situation escalated in the following days, with both sides engaging in a diplomatic tit-for-tat by expelling one another’s representatives. India has also temporarily halted all visa services for Canadian citizens.
Victor Thomas, president and CEO of the Canada-India Business Council, said this country has been trying to grow its trade relationships with India, which is the world’s biggest country by population and the world’s fastest-growing large economy.