On November 7, the Ministry of External Affairs accused Canada of blocking an Australian media outlet shortly after it aired a press conference featuring Union Minister S Jaishankar and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described Canada’s action of blocking the social media accounts and certain pages of Australia Today as hypocritical, especially in light of Canada’s stance on freedom of speech.
In response to a question during the weekly media briefing, Jaiswal said, “We understand that the social media handles, pages of this particular outlet, which are important diaspora outlets, have been blocked and are not available for viewers in Canada. This happened just an hour or few hours after this particular handle carried the press conference of EAM Dr S Jaishankar with Penny Wong.”
“We were surprised. It seems quite strange to us,” the External Affairs Ministry spokesperson said. “However, what I would emphasise is that these actions once again highlight Canada’s hypocrisy when it comes to freedom of speech.” He also mentioned that during his media interactions in Australia, Jaishankar addressed the allegations made by Canada against India, pointing out that these accusations were made without any specific evidence.
“You would have noticed that the External Affairs Minister, in his media engagements, discussed three key points. One was Canada’s allegations, and the fact that a pattern has emerged, but without providing any concrete evidence,” he added.
The spokesperson said the second thing he highlighted was surveillance of Indian diplomats happening in Canada, which he termed as unacceptable.
“The third thing he highlighted was the political space that has been given in Canada to anti-India elements. So, you can draw your conclusions from that as to why the Australia Today channel was blocked by Canada,” Jaiswal said.
This development comes amid escalating tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa. On Thursday, the Consulate General of India in Toronto announced the cancellation of some of its scheduled consular camps after Canadian security authorities communicated their inability to provide the minimum security required for the organizers. The announcement follows an incident of violent disruption by protestors carrying Khalistani flags at a consular event co-organized by the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton and the Indian Consulate.
“In view of the security agencies conveying their inability to provide minimum security protection to the community camp organizers, the Consulate has decided to cancel some of the scheduled consular camps,” the Consulate General of India stated in a post on X.
On November 3, the protest took place at the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton, and unverified videos circulating on social media appeared to show demonstrators holding banners in support of Khalistan. The protestors clashed with attendees and disrupted the consular event.
The incident was condemned by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who affirmed that every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely. India condemned the attack and expressed the expectation that those involved in the violence “will be prosecuted.”
Relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi rejected Trudeau’s charges as “absurd.”
India has consistently maintained that the core issue between the two countries is Canada’s provision of space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.
