Not only Trudeau, but his father also spoiled relations with India...
The kind of uproar that has broken out between india and canada after prime minister Justin Trudeau’s
allegations. It has also reminded him of his father and former Canadian prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
Controversy has arisen after Trudeau claimed India's role in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh
Nijjar. But very few people know that India-Canada relations had deteriorated even during the era of Pierre
Elliot Trudeau.
Before Justin Trudeau came to india as prime minister in 2018, his father had visited india in january 1971.
Former Canadian Foreign service officer Gar Pardi has mentioned his visit in a book. He has told how Pierre
Trudeau went to see the Taj Mahal. His visit was for five days. It is said that the bad relations between India
and canada started during Pierre’s tenure. The issue was not Khalistan, but India’s first nuclear explosion.
How did the relationship begin to deteriorate?
In fact, the canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor allowed the use of uranium to generate nuclear
energy. Countries like india benefited from this. But it also gave access to plutonium, which is used in making
nuclear bombs. Both America and canada helped india to acquire nuclear energy. With his help the CIRUS
nuclear reactor was built, which became operational in July 1960.
The then Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau said that the purpose of the program is for peaceful
activities. If india makes nuclear weapons, canada will end nuclear cooperation. In 1974, india also
conducted the first nuclear explosion in Pokhran. For this the help of plutonium from CIRUS reactor was
taken. india said that this was done for peaceful purposes. But Pierre Trudeau’s government withdrew support
from India’s nuclear program.