Editorial: Time for India-Canada to reset bilateral ties

An important foreign policy task before Mark Carney is to repair the damage caused to the bilateral ties during Trudeau’s tenure

The election of Mark Carney as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister-designate, following the exit of Justin Trudeau, marks a significant political shift in Canada and raises hopes of re-setting bilateral relations with India that came under severe strain in recent times. An important foreign policy task before Carney, a banker-turned-politician, is to repair the damage caused to the bilateral ties during Trudeau’s tenure. Facing a plummeting popularity rating, the former Prime Minister made a sensational allegation linking Indian intelligence agents to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in 2023. The unsubstantiated charge, made on the floor of the Canadian Parliament, triggered a turbulent fallout marked by mutual expulsions of diplomats. With the change of leadership, there is now ample scope for a thaw in the bilateral relationship and working towards reviving the old bond. The onus is on the new leadership to first rein in the pro-Khalistani elements and rebuild the ties with India. Unfortunately, Canada has, over decades, provided safe sanctuary to anti-India elements openly calling for secession, taking out rallies glorifying the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and asking Hindus to leave Canada. New Delhi had sent requests to Ottawa several times to extradite people engaged in anti-India activities from Canadian soil. It is time Canada introspects its own approach towards terrorism. The Carney administration must walk the talk in allaying the fears of the Indian diaspora and crack down on Khalistani activists.

Surely, it will be a delicate balancing act for Carney to ensure that action taken against extremist elements does not trigger a backlash from Sikh groups. For India, the real issue remains Ottawa’s consistent failure to act upon specific evidence about criminal activities being carried out by Canada-based organisations and individuals. Given the strong bond between the people of the two countries and a robust trade and business relationship, there is a need to end the present diplomatic standoff and restore mutual confidence. Addressing India’s concerns about pro-Khalistan extremists operating from Canadian soil and strengthening counterterrorism collaboration with India should be among his priority areas. On the economic front, reviving discussions on the stalled Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and encouraging Canadian investments in India’s technology and infrastructure sectors while attracting Indian investments into Canada’s energy and AI industries will provide a constructive path forward. Easing tensions surrounding visa restrictions for Indian students and professionals and enhancing academic and cultural exchanges will help reinforce strong diaspora-driven relations. It is heartening that Carney, an economist and former central bank governor, has signalled his intention to rebuild relations with India. Meanwhile, New Delhi has also signalled its willingness to engage with Carney’s administration and consider restoring its high commissioner to Canada. India and Canada have a lot to benefit, across myriad sectors, from an enduring bilateral partnership.

---