Trudeau calls Modi for vaccines, raises protest by farmers issue again

Modi and Trudeau reiterated on Wednesday the common perspective shared by India and Canada on many important geopolitical issues

Even as he called up his counterpart in New Delhi, Narendra Modi, to request for Covid-19 vaccines, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau once again raised the issue of protest by farmers against the new agricultural laws in India.

Trudeau on Wednesday called up Modi to request for Covid-19 vaccines from India. The Prime Minister assured his counterpart in Ottawa that India would do its best to support vaccination efforts in Canada, just as it had already done for many other countries.

The Canadian Prime Minister, however, once again raised the issue of the protests by farmers in India and stressed on upholding democratic principles and the importance of resolving issues through dialogue, according to a statement released by his office in Ottawa.

Read | Farm laws: Interference in internal affairs, keeping 'foreign hand' at bay

“Was happy to receive a call from my friend @JustinTrudeau. Assured him that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of COVID vaccines sought by Canada,” Modi posted on Twitter, adding: “We also agreed to continue collaborating on other important issues like Climate Change and the global economic recovery.”

A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office in New Delhi quoted Trudeau telling Modi that if the world managed to conquer Covid-19, it would be significant because of India's tremendous pharmaceutical capacity. He was also quoted lauding Modi’s “leadership in sharing this capacity with the world”.

The press release issued in New Delhi, however, had no mention of discussion between the two Prime Ministers on the protests by the farmers in India.

Read | Canada opposes MSP, has scarce interest in well-being of Indian farmers: BJP

Trudeau had in early December expressed concerns over protests by thousands of farmers in India, subtly nudging the Modi government in New Delhi to resolve the issue through dialogue.

Not only Trudeau, but Sikh ministers in the Canadian Government – Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan, Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Singh Bains and Minister for Diversity and Inclusion Bardish Chagger – had also tweeted comments on police action against the farmers agitating against the new agricultural laws introduced by the Modi government in India. They all had expressed concern and stressed the importance of allowing protests in democracies.

New Delhi had strongly reacted to the statement by the Prime Minister of Canada, calling it “unwarranted”. Ottawa’s envoy to New Delhi, Nadir Patel, was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), where senior officials served him a démarche, conveying that the comments made by Prime Minister and other ministers of the Canadian government on the protest by farmers “constitute an unacceptable interference in internal affairs” of India.

Modi and Trudeau, however, reiterated on Wednesday the common perspective shared by India and Canada on many important geopolitical issues. They agreed to continue the close collaboration between both the countries in fighting global challenges like climate change and the economic impacts of the pandemic.

“The two leaders agreed to work together on access to vaccines. The leaders also recognised the need for continued global coordination to respond to the pandemic and to promote recovery,” the office of Canadian Prime Minister stated. “The two Prime Ministers reaffirmed their common interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific, and the importance of working together on global challenges such as climate change, strengthening global trade, and reinforcing the rules-based international order.”