Towards the end of 2023, the previously cordial relationship between India and Canada took a nosedive after Canadian investigative agencies concluded that the former was involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force, who was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia. Apparently, then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had raised the matter with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G2, and met with a flat denial.
Later, Trudeau told of it in the Canadian House of Commons, thereby initiating a serious rift in India-Canada relations and leading to a sequence of tit-for-tat measures between the two nations, including the mutual expulsion of diplomats. It was a “lose-lose” development for both countries – ongoing trade talks between the two countries were abruptly cut off, and, considering that billions of rupees worth of commodities were involved, both nations lost out at a time when bilateral trade had been increasing exponentially.
Other issues, such as the crisis experienced by Indian students studying in Canada, and the suspension of visa issuance by both countries, had also cropped up due to the negative developments, which entailed that the relationship be normalised as early as feasible. Moreover, given that India has become a pivotal part of Indo-Pacific security, squabbling between partners could pose obstacles to that objective.
Indeed, course correction in the deteriorating India-Canada relations had been the need of the hour, particularly because of the tariff war that US President Donald Trump has inflicted upon the global community, which has the potential of negatively impacting both nations. In this context, the steps taken by Mark Carney, a level-headed pragmatic banker who replaced Trudeau as Canada’s Prime Minister, are certainly laudable.
Carney set off the move towards reconciliation by inviting the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Canada as one of the “special invitees” to the G7 Summit in Alberta. Modi reciprocated by accepting the invitation and sitting down with Carney in an endeavour to restore the earlier empathy. During what has been dubbed a highly successful meeting, the two leaders reportedly reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties, and the need to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership grounded in mutual respect for concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic relations.
Both sides agreed to take calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in relations, starting with the early return of High Commissioners to each other’s capitals and re-commencing senior ministerial as well as working-level engagements across various domains. They discussed collaboration in areas such as clean energy, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, LNG, food security, critical minerals, higher education, mobility, and supply chain resilience, and resumption of trade talks, thereby reopening the route towards course correction – a move of utmost importance.