India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K Patnaik, has voiced serious concerns about the safety of Indian nationals in the country, while simultaneously crediting Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney for steering bilateral ties back towards normalcy after a period of unprecedented strain.
In an interview with CTV News, Patnaik said he found it “unusual” that a high commissioner should require security protection in a country like Canada. “Canada cannot look at this situation as an Indian problem. It’s a Canadian problem. There are Canadians who are creating this problem,” he said, adding that Indian nationals currently “don’t feel safe” there.
Without directly naming pro-Khalistan extremist groups, the envoy said there were “security scenarios where there is a group of people who are actually terrorizing, keeping the relationship under hostage… how do we deal with them? How do we deal with the law-and-order situation?”.
His comments come amid a reported surge in the number of Indians leaving Canada over safety concerns and growing instances of hate-motivated incidents involving the Indian community.
Envoy Patnaik credits Canadian PM Mark Carney for restoring normalcy
In the same interview, Patnaik acknowledged that relations between New Delhi and Ottawa had been on a downward spiral since former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations linking Indian agents to the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
He dismissed Trudeau’s claims as “preposterous and absurd”, saying they lacked any substantial evidence. “What we needed was dialogue to be able to talk to each other, not make allegations in the press without proof,” Patnaik told CTV’s Question Period.
The envoy, however, credited the new leadership in Ottawa for resetting the tone of the bilateral relationship. “We might have been here a little earlier or later. You can’t keep two large countries apart for long,” he said. “The revival of the High Commission was inevitable, it just took some time. Donald Trump played a role, but I think it’s your new Prime Minister Mark Carney who played a very big role in getting things back to normal.”
‘Relationship good but can be much better’: Envoy Patnaik
According to Patnaik, the two nations are now in a phase of rebuilding trust. “Security agencies are talking to each other, there’s dialogue between the RCMP and the NIA, and both our NSAs have met. The process of rebuilding the relationship is underway,” he said.
Following Carney’s invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, India and Canada have resumed ministerial-level talks. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand visited India recently, with both sides issuing a joint statement affirming their intent to expand cooperation in trade and security.
India’s concerns about Lawrence Bishnoi gang
Patnaik also noted India’s concerns about the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which operates across both countries and has been proscribed by New Delhi. He emphasised the need for stronger internal security collaboration to address cross-border criminal activity.
When asked whether India now considers Canada a “reliable partner”, the envoy replied, “Not yet.” He expressed hope that Canada could become dependable in the future, provided “extraneous factors should not interfere with economic activities.”
“Right now, the relationship between the two countries is good, and can be much better. The initial steps have been taken,” Patnaik added, describing the reopening of embassies and renewed dialogue as signs of a positive new chapter.
