India has protested the surveillance on its diplomatic and consular personnel by the Canadian Government.

“… some of our consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian government that they have been and continued to be under audio and video surveillance”, Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Extenal Affairs, said on 2nd November 2024 during the weekly media briefing.

Condemning the “harassment and intimidation”, India alleged that this action of the Canadian government “aggravates the situation and is incompatible with established diplomatic norms and practices.”

Jaiswal also mentioned that the representative of the Canadian High Commission was summoned on 1st November 2024 and a diplomatic note was handed over in reference to the proceedings of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in Ottawa on 29th October 2024.

“It was conveyed in the Note that the Government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Deputy Minister David Morrison,” he stated.

Further, the Spokesperson maintained that the revelation that High Canadian officials deliberately leak unfounded insinuations to the international media as part of a conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations only confirms the view Government of India has long held about current Canadian government’s political agenda and behavioral pattern. Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties, he added.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, celebrated Diwali with the Hindu Community. He shared a video on X where he mentions visiting three temples in the past months.