India has advised Canada to tighten its laws against the “misuse of freedom of expression” in order to deter violence, stop attacks on racial minorities and places of worship, and deal with hate speech and crimes. KS. The suggestions were presented last week in Geneva during the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) review meeting with Mohammed Hussain, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of India.
Hussain, the chief of the Indian mission, said in his speech that India “welcomes and thanks the delegation of Canada for the presentation of their national report” to combat human trafficking. “We note the enactment of the National Housing Strategy Act, 2019; Accessible Canada Act; and the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking of 2019-2024,” he said.
“In the spirit of constructive discussion, India suggests that Canada undertake the following: first, reinforce domestic legislation to prohibit the abuse of free speech rights to incite violence; second, outlaw the actions of organizations that support extremism. Mohammed Hussain stated at the UNHRC conference that “two, effectively, prevent attacks on places of worship of religious and racial minorities, and strengthen legislative and other measures to address hate crimes and hate speech.” Moreover, India advised Canada to “address disparities in access to services by all children” and remove “structural discrimination against children belonging to indigenous groups.”
India’s proposal was made not too long after a UN study condemned Canada for “modern slavery”. Canada’s foreign worker initiatives were deemed a “breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery” by the study, which raised alarm over them. The UN human rights agency called on Canadian authorities to “offer a clear pathway to permanent residency for all migrants,” address prejudice that also encourages exploitation, and “do more” to safeguard workers.
Following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent remarks on diplomatic ties between the two nations after the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India has made a request to Canada. He declared that his nation would “always stand up for the rule of law” and restated his accusation that India was involved in Nijjar’s murder in Canada.
In light of the deteriorating diplomatic ties between the two nations, Trudeau also attacked India for its decision to expel forty Canadian diplomats, claiming it violated the Vienna Convention. Referring to Nijjar’s murder as “extremely serious,” he stated that he had contacted allies, including the US, to look into Canada’s allegations and that he had reached out to India “to get to the bottom of this matter.”
While Trudeau said in September that there was “potential” for Indian spies to have been involved in June’s death of Nijjar in British Colombia, tensions between India and Canada were high on the diplomatic front. Nijjar, the leader of the outlawed Khalistan Tiger Force, was sought in India.
