Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Amid a diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, reports suggest that Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly held a discreet meeting with India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Washington. Official statements from both nations are yet to confirm this meeting.
The Financial Times, quoting informed sources, disclosed that the Canadian government is actively working to address the strained diplomatic situation with New Delhi. This strain followed reports that Canadian diplomats faced a deadline to leave India or risk losing their diplomatic immunity.
The reports of the private meeting came after Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly asked to engage in private discussions with New Delhi to resolve the ongoing diplomatic crisis.
Mélanie Joly, a seasoned Canadian politician and lawyer, has been serving as Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs since October 2021. She is a member of the Liberal Party and has held various key positions in her political career, including Canadian heritage, tourism, and La Francophonie.
Born on January 16, 1979, Mélanie Joly's early years were spent in Ahuntsic, a northern neighborhood of Montreal. Her family background is notable, with her father, Clément Joly, having held roles such as the president of the Liberal Party's finance committee in Quebec and serving as the manager of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority from 2002 to 2007.
Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Joly embarked on her educational path at the Université de Montréal and later continued her studies at Brasenose College, Oxford. In 2001, she earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from the Université de Montréal and subsequently became a member of the Barreau du Québec.
Prior to her federal political career, Mélanie Joly established the Vrai changement pour Montréal party and ran for the position of mayor of Montréal in 2013 under its banner. Her journey into federal politics commenced in 2015 when she transitioned from municipal politics and declared her candidacy for the Liberal Party of Canada's nomination in the newly formed electoral district of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, in preparation for the 2015 federal election.
In 2015, Joly achieved her first election victory, securing the role of representing Canada's Ahuntsic-Cartierville region in the House of Commons. Over the years, her political trajectory has seen her rise to the esteemed position of Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister. Notably, she has been recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
In 2021, Joly introduced Bill C-32 in the House of Commons, aimed at achieving substantive equality between English and French and strengthening the Official Languages Act. In a House of Commons committee session in March 2023, focused on Chinese election interference in Canadian federal elections, Joly expressed concerns about foreign attempts to sow discord in democratic nations. She emphasised the need to counteract foreign meddling in future elections.
In the midst of the ongoing dispute between India and Canada, Mélanie Joly emerged as the leader of Ottawa's stance against New Delhi. Joly made the announcement regarding the expulsion of an Indian diplomat, while also levying accusations against India concerning the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was a wanted pro-Khalistani terrorist in India, and he met his demise by gunfire in Canada in June this year.