As a deadline passes, Canadian diplomats remain in India

Despite an Indian ultimatum for Canada to draw down its diplomatic presence by about two-thirds, all or almost all Canadian diplomats remain in India, CBC News has learned.

The Financial Times first reportedon Oct. 3 that India had issued a demand for "parity" in the numbers of diplomats present in the two countries.

India claimed to have only 21 accredited diplomats in Canada, and said that Canada had 62 in India, spread across its High Commission in New Delhi and four consulates in Mumbai, Chandigarh, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

The Financial Times reported that New Delhi had given Canada until Oct. 10 to withdraw 41 diplomats, to make the two diplomatic contingents equal in size. If the diplomats remained in the country, they would lose their diplomatic immunity from arrest and prosecution.

Since that date, Canadian officials had refused to answer questions about Canada's intentions or the whereabouts or movements of Canadian diplomats.

Numbers don't add up

A senior Canadian government source told CBC News that Canada remains in discussions with Indiaand has allowed the deadline to pass without complying with India's demand.

Canadian officials are also questioning India's arithmetic, which they say does not give an accurate picture of the respective sizes of the two diplomatic missions.

Indeed, India's claim to have only 21 accredited diplomats in Canada appears to conflict with the registry of accredited foreign representatives in Canada, which shows India has 60 in Canada.

Former ambassador Gar Pardy, who served as Canada's director-general of consular affairs, says that anyone on that list would normally be considered to have immunity under the Vienna Convention.

"When they get on the official list, normally we accept them as diplomats," Pardy told CBC News. "I would take the higher number that GAC puts out, because in effect when you get on that list in GAC, it means that you have diplomatic status with regards to anything that you do in Canada."

WATCH: Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the man India is accused of killing?

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the man India is accused of killing?

1 year ago

Duration 3:40

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a pro-Khalistan activist and the president of a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C. His day job was working as a plumber. For years, the Indian government called him a terrorist a claim Nijjar repeatedly denied. So, who was Nijjar, and why did India think he was such a danger?

The website of India'sMinistry of External Affairs also appears to show more than 21 diplomats in Canada. It lists 36 officials holding titles that would normally imply diplomatic status, such as high commissioner, consul, attache, first and second secretary, vice-consul and consular officer. Those officials are spread across three offices: India's High Commission in Ottawa and its two consulates in Toronto and Vancouver.

Move was serious escalation

One senior government official suggested that India could be comparing apples to oranges for example, by counting all five of Canada's diplomatic missions in India, while only counting part of India's diplomatic footprint inCanada.

The Indian demand was a rude surprise for Canada as it represented a dramatic escalation from the earlier tit-for-tat expulsions of one diplomat from each side over Canada's allegation that the Indian government played a role in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.,in June.

"I can't think of another instance of the sort of breaking diplomatic relations with another country and taking everybody out," said Pardy. "I can't think of another incident over the last 40 or 50 years where something like this has happened. Even in our worst days of our relationship with the Soviet Union, usually there were smaller numbers [of diplomats] involved."

Former Canadian diplomat Jeff Nankivell, president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, agreed that the sanction was extraordinary.

"I can't think of a precedent, certainly no precedent in the Canada-India relationship. And to do it on on the scale that is being reported certainly would be a significant drag on Canada's diplomatic operations across India."

Nankivell says Canada needs large consular operations in India to handle the volume of visa applications from that country, which is both the top source country for international students to Canada and the top source country for immigrants to Canada overall.