Ujjal Dosanjh, who was first elected in the Vancouver-Kensington riding in Canada in 1991 and served as premier of the state of British Columbia from 2000 to 2001, was the first person of Indian origin to hold the highest state office and one of the most visible faces in provincial and federal politics in Canada. A Liberal Party MP in the Canadian Parliament between 2004 and 2011 and minister of health and minister of health in 2004-2006, he served in the official minority between 2006 & 2011. The Punjab born politician and author, who immigrated from Jalandhar as a teenager has always been a strong and vocal critic of violence and extremism. In an exclusive interview with The Times of India, he spoke about the current diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Q: How soon do you think that the current diplomatic tension between Canada and India is likely to be resolved?
A: Though we would like to see de-escalation; but it may not happen soon because neither of the governments seem to be working towards finding a solution. On one hand, is the waning popularity of the Justin Trudeau government with several economic issues such as affordable housing and the rising prices of groceries going unaddressed while on the other hand the Narendra Modi government, too, has an election coming and is likely to take a tough stand on ironing out the issues with Canada.
Q: Do you feel that there are trust issues between Canada and India which have led to the current crisis?
A: Yes, the present impasse is a result of no trust between the two governments. Trudeau is not trusted by India because he has been supported from the early days of his political career by supporters of Khalistan. And instead of being a responsible leadership and taking steps to assert that India is a friendly country; his government has not gone beyond indulging Khalistanis with the ‘freedom of expression’ rubric. The fact that no Canadian politician is saying out loud that they don’t support the cause of Khalistan is pure cowardice on their part. The BJP government, too, has credibility issues and is not well loved among sections in the Democratic countries because of certain actions. Personally, I grew up in India and my grandfather played an active role in the Indian Independence movement. I value democratic and secular values very strongly.
Q: Do you see a lot of support for the separatist Khalistani cause globally?
A: It is ironic that support for Khalistan is burgeoning in Canada and outside India and many people of Punjabi origin feel that it’s okay to support a movement that is calling for the dismembering of their country of origin. I travelled to Punjab in summer this year; but didn’t see any support for Khalistan.
Q: India has emerged one of the top source country for immigrants and international students for Canada; do you feel that will now change?
A: Even before this current stand-off, the Trudeau government was looking at cutting international student visas because of the housing crisis. Canada can, in fact, absorb only a certain number of immigrants and is facing infrastructure problems because of it’s liberal immigration policy. Indians are the largest number of immigrants to Canada and there have been indications lately that the government will be scaling down immigration numbers.
Q: You have been one of the most visible faces in Canadian federal and provincial politics; how did you transition to becoming an author?
A: I always wanted to write fiction and had ideas in my head for my novels for long. I faced a problem because of my typing speed for which I even did a course in typing. But then the extremism in Punjab happened and its impact was also felt in Canada and I got deeply involved in politics to confront violence and didn’t find the time to write. After I worked with a writer, who provided mentorship and helped me with my ideas; my first novel, The Past is Never Dead, was published this summer. Now my fifth novel is with the publisher and earlier I had also written my autobiography, Journey After Midnight.
Q: There are many Indo-Canadians who have been elected as MPs in Canada. Do you think that they are working towards a solution to the current impasse between the two countries?
A: Most of the members of Parliament of Indian origin, who look like me; and who we have been sending to the Federal government in Ottawa, are spineless. They are escalating the Khalistan issue to appease their constituency instead of telling the Khalistanis to calm down and not spread the message of hatred. In fact, all of them are either silent or defending the Khalistani cause under the guise of freedom of expression. Instead, they should strongly say that they do not want to see India dismembered.
Q: How soon do you think that the current diplomatic tension between Canada and India is likely to be resolved?
A: Though we would like to see de-escalation; but it may not happen soon because neither of the governments seem to be working towards finding a solution. On one hand, is the waning popularity of the Justin Trudeau government with several economic issues such as affordable housing and the rising prices of groceries going unaddressed while on the other hand the Narendra Modi government, too, has an election coming and is likely to take a tough stand on ironing out the issues with Canada.
Q: Do you feel that there are trust issues between Canada and India which have led to the current crisis?
A: Yes, the present impasse is a result of no trust between the two governments. Trudeau is not trusted by India because he has been supported from the early days of his political career by supporters of Khalistan. And instead of being a responsible leadership and taking steps to assert that India is a friendly country; his government has not gone beyond indulging Khalistanis with the ‘freedom of expression’ rubric. The fact that no Canadian politician is saying out loud that they don’t support the cause of Khalistan is pure cowardice on their part. The BJP government, too, has credibility issues and is not well loved among sections in the Democratic countries because of certain actions. Personally, I grew up in India and my grandfather played an active role in the Indian Independence movement. I value democratic and secular values very strongly.
Q: Do you see a lot of support for the separatist Khalistani cause globally?
A: It is ironic that support for Khalistan is burgeoning in Canada and outside India and many people of Punjabi origin feel that it’s okay to support a movement that is calling for the dismembering of their country of origin. I travelled to Punjab in summer this year; but didn’t see any support for Khalistan.
Q: India has emerged one of the top source country for immigrants and international students for Canada; do you feel that will now change?
A: Even before this current stand-off, the Trudeau government was looking at cutting international student visas because of the housing crisis. Canada can, in fact, absorb only a certain number of immigrants and is facing infrastructure problems because of it’s liberal immigration policy. Indians are the largest number of immigrants to Canada and there have been indications lately that the government will be scaling down immigration numbers.
Q: You have been one of the most visible faces in Canadian federal and provincial politics; how did you transition to becoming an author?
A: I always wanted to write fiction and had ideas in my head for my novels for long. I faced a problem because of my typing speed for which I even did a course in typing. But then the extremism in Punjab happened and its impact was also felt in Canada and I got deeply involved in politics to confront violence and didn’t find the time to write. After I worked with a writer, who provided mentorship and helped me with my ideas; my first novel, The Past is Never Dead, was published this summer. Now my fifth novel is with the publisher and earlier I had also written my autobiography, Journey After Midnight.
Q: There are many Indo-Canadians who have been elected as MPs in Canada. Do you think that they are working towards a solution to the current impasse between the two countries?
A: Most of the members of Parliament of Indian origin, who look like me; and who we have been sending to the Federal government in Ottawa, are spineless. They are escalating the Khalistan issue to appease their constituency instead of telling the Khalistanis to calm down and not spread the message of hatred. In fact, all of them are either silent or defending the Khalistani cause under the guise of freedom of expression. Instead, they should strongly say that they do not want to see India dismembered.