'I don't know when we'll go': Travel plans upended amid fraying Canada-India ties
Until this week, Sukhwinder Dhillon was set on making his first trip back to India in years sometime in the next few months.
"My father passed, and my brother passed," said the 56-year-old Montrealer. "I want to go now."
Dhillon had been planning to return to his birthplace in India's Punjab state to see family and sort out affairs with his deceased father's estate, but found himself forced to put the trip on hold.
Members of the Indo-Canadian community are reeling after the Indian government suspended visa services for citizens of Canada, upending travel plans for those set on visiting the country but now caught in the crossfire of a diplomatic blow-up.
- Top headlines on Canadian politics, all in one place
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
India's visa application centre in Canada announced an immediate halt on Thursday, widening a rift between the two states that broke open this week when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said New Delhi may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen.
Relations between the two countries have spiralled downward rapidly since Monday, when Trudeau told Parliament there were "credible allegations" of Indian involvement in the assassination of Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Gunned down in June outside the gurdwara he led in Surrey, B.C., he had been wanted by India for years.
Ottawa also expelled an Indian diplomat, and New Delhi followed suit by booting a Canadian representative on Tuesday and then issuing a travel advisory that warned of violence against Indian nationals and students in Canada. India's External Affairs Ministry called the allegations being investigated in Canada "absurd" and an attempt to shift attention from the presence of Nijjar and other wanted suspects on Canadian soil.
Dhillon said his sense of unease with the country where he grew up has risen amid a ramp-up in hard-line rhetoric from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist party.
"They say, 'Be careful, Hindu people, you're not safe in Canada,"' the grocery store owner said, paraphrasing the Aaj Tak news channel broadcasting in Hindi in the background. "But it's not like that here."
Dhillon, who came to Canada in 1998, said he typically makes the trip back every two or three years, and hopes the visa halt will be short-lived.
"Where you're born, where you grew up -- you see this and you're happy. Now I don't know when we'll go."
In 2021, 80,000 Canadian tourists visited India, making them the fourth largest group, according to India's Bureau of Immigration.
Some 1.4 million residents of Indian descent call Canada home, according to the 2021 census, including about 772,000 Sikhs -- the highest number of any country, save India.
India requires all foreign visitors to obtain a visa before visiting the country. It also does not allow Indian citizens to hold dual citizenship, but many Canadians of Indian origin are eligible for an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, saving them from having to apply for a new visa before each trip to the country.
For Mohinder Singh, who made the move across the Pacific Ocean a decade ago, nearly any reprisal from the Indian government would be a necessary cost of calling out alleged wrongdoing. That's true even amid the "big hindrance" for travellers.
"For a person who has relatives, it is important to travel for family or whatever reason, for business associations too," said the 48-year-old insurance broker, adding that he has loved ones in India and a strong emotional connection to his homeland.
"I was thinking of applying and going for a vacation, but if I have to postpone it, I don't care," he said. "You have to sometimes sacrifice for a bigger good."
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi confirmed a temporary suspension of all visa services for Canadians, including e-visas and visas issued in third countries.
"Security threats being faced by our high commission and consulates in Canada have disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly, they are temporarily unable to process visa applications. We will be reviewing the situation on a regular basis," Bagchi told reporters.
Last month, Sanjay Kumar Verma, India's envoy to Canada told The Canadian Press he was "very satisfied" the federal government was adequately protecting his country's diplomats after New Delhi had raised concerns for their safety earlier this year.
Bagchi also called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India, saying they outnumbered India's staffing in Canada.
"We have informed the Canadian government that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in our mutual diplomatic presence," Bagchi said.
The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi said Thursday that all of its consulates in India are open and continue to serve clients. It said some of its diplomats had received threats on social media, prompting it to assess its "staff complement in India."
It added that Canada expects India to provide security for its diplomats and consular officers working there.
Business people are also worried about fallout from the diplomatic row.
Shaker Ahmed Choudhury, who manages a travel agency in Montreal, says nearly a third of his clientele are Indo-Canadian.
"We've got a lot of Indian customers, especially who are travelling to Amritsar, Punjab.
"It definitely is a setback for us because it's a large population and a big market," he said of the visa processing suspension.
Other companies face a potential pinch too. While flights to India make up a fraction of Canada's travel market -- less than 40 of Air Canada's 4,000-plus weekly flights are between this country and the subcontinent -- the growing number of immigrants and international students still make it a major spot on the map of some businesses, from agricultural exporters to airlines.
"We anticipate increased immigration will continue to strengthen the vibrant visiting-friends-and-relatives market in contributing to trade, furthering corporate travel opportunities," Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau told analysts on a conference call last month.
India is now the leading source of immigration to Canada, with 118,000 or 27 per cent of the 437,000 new permanent residents in 2022 coming from that country, according to the Immigration Department.
-- with files from The Associated Press
IN DEPTH
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We will rebuild': A look inside the wildfire devastation in Jasper
During a tour of the town with Mayor Richard Ireland, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other dignitaries on Friday, the indiscriminate nature of the wildfires could be seen everywhere, with Jasper National Park's glorious mountain peaks overlooking the devastation.
'It's completely gone.' After fast-moving wildfire destroys brother's home, woman opens her own to evacuees
Kim Titchener knows first-hand how caring the Jasper community can be, and she's hoping to give back as much as possible now that the town and its people are in need.
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
How to support adult children, grandchildren financially amid high cost-of-living
Ontario seniors are facing a cash crunch as they continue to support their kids and grandchildren at the expense of their own well-being.
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Some residents won't leave B.C. community despite wildfire evacuation orders
It's been a calmer 24 hours on the wildfire front in B.C., but hundreds of properties remain under evacuation orders in the Central Kootenay region as anxious residents hope for the best.
Colin Tweedie sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for hit-and-run death of Cape Breton girl
Colin Tweedie has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in federal prison in the 2019 hit-and-run death of 10-year-old Cape Breton girl Talia Forrest.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump's near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president's ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former president's injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
The Philippines says a cargo of oil has started to leak from a tanker that sank in Manila Bay
The cargo of industrial fuel oil on a tanker that sank in stormy weather in Manila Bay has started to leak in small amounts, the Philippine coast guard said Saturday.
Local Spotlight
'She led it the whole way': 18-year-old B.C. woman leads hikers to safety in Jasper National Park
As fire threatened people in Jasper National Park, Colleen Knull sprung into action.
'There's mom and dad's house': New video appears to show destruction of Jasper neighbourhood
Video posted to social media on Thursday morning appears to show the charred remains of a Jasper, Alta., neighbourhood.
Sask. Second World War veteran, 103, receives France's highest national order
A Saskatchewan-born veteran of the Second World War was recently presented with France's highest national order.
Former First Nations chief voices Disney's first Ojibwe language Star Wars movie
A local First Nations elder and veteran is helping to bring the Ojibwe language to a well-known film for the first time.
Ottawa Humane Society reunites Montreal family with cat missing for 8 years
A cat who fled her Montreal home nearly a decade ago has been reunited with her family after being found in Ottawa.
Waterloo, Ont. woman out thousands after car totalled in hit-and-run
A woman in Waterloo, Ont. is out thousands of dollars for a car crash she wasn’t involved in.
'It looks scary, but they're harmless': Bees removed from Winnipeg street light
A swarm of bees living in a lamppost in Winnipeg’s Sage Creek neighbourhood has found a new home for its hive.
'Powerful symbol of the progress we have made': Land being returned to Manitoba Métis Federation
Around 100 acres of Manitoba Crown Land near the Saskatchewan border is being returned to the Métis community.
Cape Breton moose hunting suspended for 3 years due to 'significant' drop in population
Nova Scotia is suspending the licensed Cape Breton moose hunt for three years due to what the province is calling a “significant drop” in the population.