Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has touched down in Mumbai, India, on Friday, embarking on his inaugural official visit to the nation with a clear mission: to reset strained diplomatic ties and significantly deepen trade cooperation with New Delhi. This pivotal four-day trip marks a concerted effort to move beyond the frosty relations that characterised recent years under his predecessor.
A Strategic Diplomatic Reset
During his stay, Prime Minister Carney is scheduled to engage with prominent Indian business leaders before a highly anticipated meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday. The Indian foreign ministry, in a statement released on Thursday, framed this summit as a crucial opportunity to reaffirm the "positive momentum and shared vision" for a forward-looking and robust bilateral partnership.
Key Agenda for Bilateral Talks
The discussions between Modi and Carney are expected to cover a broad and strategic spectrum of cooperation. Key areas on the agenda include:
- Trade and Investment: Advancing negotiations on a comprehensive trade deal.
- Energy and Critical Minerals: Exploring partnerships in these vital sectors.
- Technology Collaboration: Fostering innovation and tech exchange.
This visit is part of a broader international tour, with Carney set to proceed to Australia and Japan next week. This itinerary underscores his government's strategic push to diversify Canada's trade portfolio away from an over-reliance on the United States. Carney has publicly set an ambitious national goal: to double Canada's non-U.S. exports within the next decade, citing American tariffs as a significant deterrent to investment.
Navigating Past Tensions
The relationship between Canada and India faced severe strain following allegations by Canadian authorities in 2023. They asserted that Indian officials were involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist near Vancouver in June of that year. New Delhi vehemently denied these accusations and, in turn, accused the former Canadian government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of providing a safe haven for Sikh extremists associated with the Khalistan movement—a separatist group banned in India that seeks an independent Sikh homeland.
A notable thaw began last year when Prime Minister Carney extended an invitation to Narendra Modi to attend the G7 summit held in Alberta, Canada, in June. This gesture helped pave the way for the current diplomatic outreach and renewed efforts to advance a bilateral trade deal, discussions for which had stalled during the two-year period of heightened tensions.
A Broader International Context
It is noteworthy that Canada is not the sole nation to have levelled such serious allegations against India. In a parallel case in 2023, U.S. federal prosecutors accused an Indian government official of orchestrating a foiled plot to assassinate another Sikh separatist figure on American soil in New York. Adding to this, earlier this month, a man from India admitted in court to conspiring to hire a hitman for the assassination of that same Sikh separatist leader, highlighting the complex and international nature of these security concerns.
Prime Minister Carney's visit, therefore, represents a delicate and critical diplomatic manoeuvre. It aims to rebuild trust, address past grievances, and unlock the significant economic potential of a stronger Canada-India partnership, all while navigating a complex geopolitical landscape.
