A senior official said Canada taking a lead is a good start and this stand has now put pressure on others to follow suit

India has lauded Canada for rejecting the Punjab Referendum 2020 which was organized by a secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). India believes that the Canadian Government has set a precedent that should be emulated by other countries.

A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, the country’s Foreign Ministry, stated in an email that Canada respects the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India and the Government of Canada will not recognise the referendum, said a report in the Hindustan Times.

A senior official said Canada taking a lead is a good start and this stand has now put pressure on others to follow suit.

With this India is hopeful that a similar stance will emerge from other nations in the Five Eyes group - the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

And most notedly, with Justin Trudeau coming back to power in October 2019, contacts between New Delhi and Ottawa have increased. The PMs of both countries met at the G7 summit and also spoke on the phone twice. Moreover, the Indian and Canadian foreign ministers S Jaishankar and Francois-Philippe Champagne have been in touch over the COVID-19 pandemic and have been coordinating efforts to contain the outbreak.

Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng has been in regular communication with Commerce, Industry and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, the report pointed out.

On Wednesday, the two discussed several issues including the proposed agreements on comprehensive economic partnership and foreign investment promotion and protection, said the Hindustan Times report.