Indians feel unsafe in Canada, says new High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik

India's new High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K Patnaik said that South Asians and Indians were feeling unsafe in Canada. His comments comes at a time when there has been a record increase in the number of Indian nationals being forced out of Canada.

‘It’s a Canadian problem’

Patnaik, during an interview to CTV News, said that the High Commissioner of Canada in India does not need protection but the High Commissioner of India in Canada needs protection asking whether there was a need to look into the reason behind the situation.

The Indian High Commissioner also said that Canada cannot call it an “Indian problem” adding that it was a “Canadian problem".

“South Asians and Indians are feeling unsafe here. Do we need to make sure that they feel safe? What is happening here? The High Commissioner of Canada in India does not need protection. The High Commissioner of India in Canada needs protection. Do we need to look into why the situation is like that?” said Patnaik.

Also Read: PM Modi seeks fresh momentum in India-Canada relations, meets Canadian FM

‘Is Canada safe for Indians?’

“Is Canada safe for Indians? Is Canada safe for itself? Because Canada cannot look at this situation as an Indian problem. It’s a Canadian problem. There are Canadians who are creating this problem. Today, one of the restaurants, owned by an Indian, was attacked for the third time. Shots were fired at the restaurant,” he added.

Without directly mentioning the issue of pro-Khalistan extremism in Canada, Patanaik asked how to deal with a security scenario where a group of people are actually terrorizing and keeping the relationship under hostage, reported the Hindustan Times.

The report further stated that recently there has been sharp increase in the number of Indian nationals being removed from Canada adding that in 2024 1,997 Indians were forcefully removed from the country. In the 2019, the figure stood at 625.

According to the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) 1,891 Indians were asked to leave the country up until July 2025.

Also Read: Jaishankar says India keen to advance ties with Canada

What Canadian PM Mark Carney said

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that his government was considering to speed up the deportation of foreign criminals. “The short answer is yes, there are plans to make in faster, to make it better resources and to improve the tracking. That’s part of a broader set of reforms that we are making to the immigration system here in Canada," he had said as quoted by the Hindustan Times.

According to media reports, Indians top the country wise-list “removals in progress,” with 6,837 cases, followed by 5,170 Mexicans and 1,734 US citizens. Indians are also among the largest group among asylum seekers.