New Delhi has told Ottawa to remove the staff by next Tuesday, sources told the Financial Times. “We are in ongoing conversations with the Indian government,” Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters on Tuesday, citing the need to maintain diplomatic links amid “tensions between both our governments.” (Financial Times, The Logic)

Talking points: New Delhi’s move is the latest in a series that came after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disclosed that security agencies were investigating “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.; Ottawa paused negotiations on an interim trade deal as a result of the issue. Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said last month the call for a cut in Canada’s diplomatic corps was designed to create “parity in strength and rank equivalence in our diplomatic presence.” In addition to staff handling immigration and political files, Canada’s mission in India includes trade commissioners focused on auto, digital industries and other target sectors. Joly’s office did not answer The Logic’s questions about how many diplomats Ottawa had been asked to withdraw.