On Tuesday (12 September), the turbulent and disastrous India trip of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got extended further for unforeseen reasons. Reportedly, a backup aircraft that was on its way from Canada to pick up the ‘stranded’ leader was diverted to London adding woes to an already painful New Delhi visit for the Liberal party leader.
Trudeau, who had arrived in New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit, got stranded after his plane developed a technical snag on Sunday (September 10). His replacement flight, en route to New Delhi via Rome, took an unscheduled diversion toward London. However, no reasons were specified for this abrupt diversion.
It is expected that the diversion will further delay the departure of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who was supposed to fly out of New Delhi on September 10 after the completion of the G20 Summit. Now, the leader could have to stay in Delhi for the third unscheduled night.
This is getting bizarre. The Canadian backup aircraft has reportedly been diverted to London. PM Justin Trudeau likely has to stay in Delhi for THIRD unscheduled night tonight. All due courtesies & protocol being extended by GOI, as is proper. https://t.co/eUk1uxh4c9
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) September 12, 2023
Speaking on the unexpected development, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that the earliest the plane would leave London is early Tuesday morning (local time), CBC News reported.
The inauspicious and humiliating drama over his departure has worsened the nightmarish India trip for the Canadian leader. His participation in the G20 summit seemingly turned out in an embarrassment for the Canadian government on the global stage as his trip made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
During the G20 leaders summit, Trudeau was snubbed by all major world leaders. Notably, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held several bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
He was only granted a “pull-aside meeting” with the Indian PM. The release by the Ministry of External Affairs regarding the pull-aside meeting read, “The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates, and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats. Prime Minister also mentioned that a relationship based on mutual respect and trust is essential for the progress of the India-Canada relationship.”
Other than a pull-aside meeting with PM Modi, no other world leader had any bilateral talk with the Canadian PM, except World Bank President Ajay Banga.
Not only did Trudeau get snubbed by the world leaders who were being hosted and led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but he has also been receiving flak on his home turf. Global coverage of the G20 Summit shows Trudeau in a bad light at a time when the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) leader is desperately attempting to keep his minority government in power.
