(MENAFN- Live Mint) Justin Trudeau resigns: Justin Trudeau, who had been fighting growing discontent within the Liberal Party for months over his leadership, has resigned as the Canada prime minister. A teary-eyed Justin Trudeau announced will, however, continue as caretaker premier until the Liberal Party elects his replacement. Justin Trudeau said it had become clear to him that he cannot“be the leader during the next elections due to internal battles.”
Justin Trudeau's resignation as the prime Minister came at a time when Canada was in the middle of a huge row with India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in which Ottawa alleged Indian involvement.
The Canada-India relationship has been under strain since Justin Trudeau alleged that New Delhi was involved in the shooting of the Khalistani terrorist outside a Sikh temple in Surrey in June 2023, triggering seismic effects on the relations of the two countries. Justin Trudeau alleged that the Canadian national security believed“agents of the Indian government” were involved in the killing.
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” he said in the House of Commons.
India dismissed the allegations as“absurd” and demanded that Canada provide evidence of Indian involvement in Nijjar's killing . Additionally, India accused Canada of trying to court the Khalistani population ahead of the federal elections. The Canada-India relations nosedived in the second half of the year after Ottawa linked several Indian diplomats including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
With Justin Trudeau's resignation, relation between India and Canada could significantly improve if his successor adopts a different approach towards New Delhi at a time when the the ties between the two countries have soured.
However, if the next Liberal Party leader maintains the same approach as Justin Trudeau , bilateral relations could deteriorate further, with serious allegations continuing to loom in the background.
The next elections are set for October 2025. If the Liberal Party emerges victorious, Canada's relationship with India will largely depend on the leader it selects in the coming weeks.
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre, whose party holds a substantial polling lead over the incumbent Liberals, is another contender in the upcoming elections. If the Conservative Party wins the polls, relations between Canada and India could take a dramatic turn, as leader Pierre Poilievre has been outspoken about Justin Trudeau's handling of the situation.
Pierre Poilievre had earlier vowed to“restore relationship with New Delhi” if he becomes the next PM.
“We need a professional relationship with the Indian government. India is the largest democracy on Earth. And it's fine to have our disagreements and to hold each other accountable, but we have to have a professional relationship, and that is what I will restore when I'm Prime Minister of this country,” Poilievre said in an interview with Namaste Radio Toronto.
The Liberal Party is scheduled to meet to elect the next leader. Canadian media have tipped Chrystia Freeland as a possible contender to take over the Liberal Party along with the former Bank of England governor Mark Carney, a Canadian who also previously led the Bank of Canada.
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