Canada's opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre, has cancelled the annual Diwali celebrations scheduled to be held at Parliament Hill, citing the ongoing diplomatic tensions with India.

In a formal communication to the Office of the Opposition, Shiv Bhasker, President of the Overseas Friends of India Canada (OFIC), expressed his disappointment regarding their recent decision. Bhasker, whose organisation coordinates the event, conveyed concerns over the potential impact of this choice on the community and highlighted the significance of such events in fostering positive relations.

"For the past 23 years, Hindus, Buddhist, Jains and Sikhs have looked forward to participating in this joyous occasion to share and celebrate this day with all our Canadian brothers and sisters. He added that the diplomatic row between India and Canada has left the community feeling "betrayed and unjustly singled out."

He further noted that by disregarding an important cultural event like this, politicians are sending a clear message to Indo-Canadians that they are perceived not as fellow Canadians but rather as "outsiders."

"Racism and discrimination are thriving in Canada, and this latest development has laid bare the systemic biases that still exist. Our politicians, by recusing themselves from these cultural celebrations, have sent a message-intentionally or not-that we, as OFIC Canadians of Indian heritage are not fully part of this nation, that we are somehow less Canadian because of our ancestral ties to India," he said.

The community has called for an apology, condemning the decision as an "insensitive and discriminatory act." Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden recently hosted over 600 prominent Indian Americans at a grand Diwali celebration at the White House on Tuesday.

Relations between India and Canada have sharply deteriorated following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of New Delhi's involvement in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and interference in Canadian elections. India has dismissed these accusations as "absurd."