John Manley joins CTV's Power Play to discuss diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, after New Delhi reportedly ordered two-thirds of Canadian diplomats out of the country.
John says the move is surprising in its scale and gravity, but "This is an indication that the government of India is exceptionally unhappy with Canada, and it's going to make it that much more difficult for us to patch things up once, inevitably, we are in a position where we want to do that."
On September 18, Canada's Prime Minister said the federal government was "actively pursuing credible allegations" linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia in June.
When it comes to de-escalating the situation, John says the lack of information included in the Canadian accusation is a serious problem. Since no one has been charged with a crime, "It's very hard for the world to see that our accusations are substantiated in fact. So the sooner that somebody can be charged and fully identified and ideally, from our position, linked to the government of India, the more likely it is that we can begin to move this process onward."
John's interview can be viewed here from 42:20 to 50:50.
Bennett Jones