Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Canada on Wednesday clarified that it does not believe India is linked to violent crimes on its soil, signalling a diplomatic thaw with New Delhi ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India. This marks a notable shift after months of strained ties between the two countries, as the Toronto Star reported.According to a report by The Toronto Star, a senior Canadian official stated during a background briefing that Ottawa is now confident such alleged activities are no longer continuing. “We have a very robust diplomatic engagement, including between national security advisers, and I think we can say we’re confident that that activity is not continuing,” the official said.Another official added that the visit itself reflects this assessment: “I really don’t think we’d be taking this trip if we thought these kinds of activities were continuing.”The Prime Minister’s Office later clarified that Canada would continue to address transnational repression, organised crime and criminal activity within its borders, while re-engaging with India through law enforcement and security channels.The Toronto Star further reported that the reassessment follows months of high-level security dialogue between the two countries. Officials indicated that communication channels between national security advisers and law enforcement agencies remain active and that engagement with India is being approached in a “step-by-step” and cautious manner.The news agency also highlighted that Carney’s government sees the visit as part of a broader effort to stabilise relations with key global partners, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. However, some Sikh community leaders in Canada expressed concern over the renewed engagement, saying investigations into past allegations should continue transparently even as diplomatic ties improve.
Carney’s ‘pragmatic’ reset with India
This comes as Mark Carney is scheduled to visit Mumbai and New Delhi on Thursday, marking his first trip to India as Prime Minister. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, business leaders and officials to expand cooperation in trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence and defence.Canada sees India as an important economic partner. In 2024, bilateral trade between the two countries reached $30.8 billion. Both sides have discussed reviving negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which aims to double trade to $70 billion by 2030.The Toronto Star reported that Carney’s government views engagement with India as part of a broader effort to diversify Canada’s trade partnerships in a more uncertain global environment.However, the shift has drawn criticism from some Sikh activists. Moninder Singh, a religious leader in British Columbia, told the newspaper that he had received multiple police warnings about threats to his life since Nijjar’s killing. He described the renewed engagement as a betrayal.At the same time, Canadian officials said that security dialogue with India continues. Trade minister Maninder Sidhu said Canada can both protect communities at home and engage internationally on economic matters.
Diplomatic row after Nijjar killing
Relations between Canada and India deteriorated sharply after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, in British Columbia in June 2023. Months later, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau told the Canadian Parliament there were “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the killing.India rejected the allegations as “absurd.” The dispute led to tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats, suspension of visa services, and a freeze in trade talks.India maintained that Canada was giving space to extremist and secessionist elements. After Trudeau’s exit, Ministry of External Affairs said that it was ready to rebuild ties based on “mutual trust and sensitivity.” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the downturn in relations was caused by the “license that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements” in Canada.
