SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has strongly criticised the government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for what he perceives as an attack on freedom of speech. Musk expressed his concerns on social media amidst growing tensions between India and Canada. These tensions were triggered by Canada’s decision to require registration from online streaming services for regulatory purposes.
In his statement, Musk highlighted that the Canadian government has implemented one of the world’s online censorship systems. He pointed out that all “online streaming services offering podcasts” must now register with the government to enable control.
This is not when Trudeau’s government has faced allegations of suppressing speech. In February 2022, Trudeau invoked emergency powers, a move in Canada to gain increased authority in addressing protests against vaccine mandates by truckers. Three days later, he invoked the War Measures Act (which preceded the Emergencies Act). Deployed troops to various provinces during this crisis. The situation ended after a separatist group tragically took the life of a cabinet minister.
Adding strain to their relationship, Trudeau recently accused India of being involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar a claim vehemently denied by India.
However, Canada has not presented any evidence to support this claim. As a result, India has temporarily halted visa services for Canadians. Given the Sikh community in Canada, around 770,000, and outside Punjab in India, these allegations have heightened tensions between the two countries.