Last week the Canadian PM had extended his support to India’s farm protests, claiming that the situation was concerning

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has softened his rhetoric against India on the issue of farmers’ agitation after New Delhi made it clear that the country won’t stand foreign interference in domestic affairs.

“Canada will always stand up for the right of peaceful protest anywhere around the world and we’re pleased to see moves toward de-escalation and dialogue,” Trudeau was quoted as saying in an IANS report carried by The Rahmuna Daily.

Last week, Trudeau had extended his support to India’s farm protests, claiming that the situation was “concerning” and Canadians were “all very worried about family and friends” in Punjab.

However, according to the sources quoted in the report, soon after the Modi government summoned the Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi over Trudeau’s remarks and Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar announced skipping the Canada-led Ministerial Coordination Group on Covid-19 (MCGC), panic struck the government circles in Canada.

The Indian government had sent a clear message that such behavior will affect the bilateral trade as it has already happened under the Trudeau government.

The bilateral trade between India and Canada declined by around $1 billion from 2017-18 to 2018-19 after Trudeau’s pro-Khalistani approach.

However, Canadian firms view India as an attractive investment destination as more than 400 Canadian companies have a presence in India, and more than 1,000 companies are actively pursuing business in the massive Indian market.

After some deft diplomacy played by the Indian High Commission in Canada, sources were quoted as saying that Trudeau softened his stand when he was asked about the demarche issued by the Indian government.

Trudeau’s earlier rhetoric against India on the farm protests was driven by his political compulsions — he runs a minority government in his second term and continually needs to pander to his Khalistani vote bank, according to the report.