India interference allegations exposing who’s not ride-or-die for Canada

OTTAWA—On Oct.14, while people were eating their Thanksgiving meal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a press conference where he accused the Indian government of “supporting a campaign of violence against Canadians on Canadian soil,” including homicides. The RCMP maintains that the Indian government poses a threat to Canadian safety; they have “identified serious issues of violent extremists working in both India and Canada; the use of organized crime to create perceptions of unsafe environments and target people in the South Asian community in Canada; and interference in democratic processes,” as reported by CBC News. The PM further informed the global community that the government expelled six Indian diplomats, accused of illegally collecting information on South Asian communities, and linked to the 2023 murder of Sikh independence advocate Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Wow. Mic drop. In retaliation, India expelled six Canadian diplomats in a high-stakes foreign relations take on “I’m rubber, you’re glue.” And in true diplomatic fashion, India cried foul on the accusations levied against them. The purpose of this column is not to delve into intra-community politics turned diplomatic crisis. Bad + Bitchy has already done that. Rather, I would like to discuss the political fallout of this international debacle, and who is really ride-or-die for Canada. There are too many ops—opposition—in the Canadian media and the political class, and they need to be flushed out into the septic tank of national betrayal. First, let’s start with CTV News, which decided this past weekend to platform expelled Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, who claimed not a shred of evidence had been produced, and had there been evidence, Verma implied that its legality would be questioned. How Trumpian. I understand the impetus to get the Indian government on record, given the explosiveness of the story. However, Canadian news media must weigh that against the effects of platforming this individual. What that does is muddy the water between truth and fiction. (We see this with any Biden administration spokesperson when speaking on Gaza.) Therefore, anytime a mic is put in front of masters of manipulation, they will use the opportunity to spin the facts in their favour. You know, alternative facts. Not to be outdone by CTV News, last week, National Post columnist John Ivison accused Trudeau of “effectively labelling Modi an accessory in homicide.” Add to that, Ivison basically blamed Sikh Canadians for courting extremism, and having been too vocal: “Trudeau has allowed diaspora politics to unduly influence foreign policy pledging that ‘Sikh values are Canadian values’ at events and failing to crack down on suspected Khalistani extremists living in Canada.” (Cue up Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us.) I see, so it’s the fault of Sikh Canadians for bringing these foreign issues to Canadian governments. In other words, they’re foreign troublemakers, and not Canadians. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s silence has been particularly conspicuous. In fact, his Twitter feed—through which he filters his political messaging—has been practically mum on the issue, save for a statement that made unseasoned chicken taste delectable. The National Observer didn’t miss when reporting on the placid statement: “His statement, by the way, didn’t mention India’s well-documented efforts to interfere in Canadian elections.” Oh? Interesting. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians’ Special Report on Foreign Interference in Canada’s Democratic Processes and Institutions, submitted to the PM in March, clearly states that a paragraph was removed “to remove injurious or privileged information. The paragraph described India’s alleged interference in a Conservative Party of Canada leadership race.” To be fair, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service accused both the People’s Republic of China and India of interfering in Canada’s democratic processes. And these accusations aren’t just levied at the Conservatives; they are spread across what could be all parties. However, wouldn’t you, as the leader of the official opposition, want to show some sort of unity by aligning with the prime minister on this issue because it’s one of national security? It’s amazing to me that many people in political and media circles have been so laissez-faire about this row in contrast to their attentiveness towards Russian disinformation campaigns. Poilievre has been playing fast and loose with the need to consistently dunk on Trudeau and the Liberals. It appears that he can’t resist the urge to deflect from any meaningful policy discussion by blaming Trudeau for every gripe and grievance known to man. Soon he’ll accuse Trudeau of the John F. Kennedy assassination. A year ago, about a month after the prime minister informed Canadians of the burgeoning spat with India, Poilievre blamed Trudeau for the “diplomatic chill with India, saying Ottawa needs a ‘professional relationship’ with the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” In other words, when a foreign country effectively attempts to destroy the so-called rule of law in which Canada takes prides, he expects us to use Diddy’s stash of baby oil and take it. Poilievre then proceeded to accuse Trudeau of dividing Canadians on account of this consular quarrel. You’ve got to be kidding me. What I’m picking up is an unserious man playing fast and loose with real people’s security and safety just to score points with memeable Twitter clips. What is also clear is that, since the convoy, Poilievre’s loyalties around foreign policy have been suspect. If he can’t see the big picture because he’s “sticking it to the Libs,” then I’m not sure what he’s bringing to the table. Erica Ifill is a co-host of the Bad+Bitchy podcast. The Hill Times

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India interference allegations exposing who’s not ride-or-die for Canada

There are too many ops in the Canadian media and the political class, and they need to be flushed out into the septic tank of national betrayal.

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