Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will begin an official visit to India from February 26 to March 7, in what officials describe as a significant step toward stabilising bilateral ties and expanding economic cooperation after a period of diplomatic strain.
Ahead of the visit, senior Canadian officials indicated that Ottawa no longer believes India is linked to ongoing violent criminal activity in Canada, a development seen as a potential turning point in relations.
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"We have a very robust diplomatic engagement, including between national security advisers, and I think we can say we are confident that activity is not continuing," an unnamed senior official was quoted by Money Control as saying.
High-level talks and economic agenda
Carney's schedule includes meetings with business leaders in Mumbai before travelling to New Delhi for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2. Discussions are expected to focus on clean energy, artificial intelligence, defence cooperation, advanced technologies, and reviving negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
Relations between the two countries had deteriorated after Ottawa accused New Delhi of involvement in the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, allegations India denied. The dispute led to reciprocal diplomatic expulsions in 2024.
Following Carney's election victory in April 2025, engagement resumed, with both nations reinstating high commissioners and restarting senior-level dialogue.
Security cooperation and differing views
Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik described the current engagement as an "unprecedented" security dialogue. "We are tackling it up front, working together with Canada. That's how mature democracies work," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, reported Money Control.
"If we find out that agents of the government, or rogue agents or Indian people are associated with what has happened with Nijjar, we ourselves will take action along with the Canadians," Patnaik added.
Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand said security concerns remain important. "Yes, that is always at the forefront of our minds," she was quoted as saying by Money Control.
However, the World Sikh Organisation of Canada disputed the government's assessment, calling claims that concerns had eased "utterly false."
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Trade and investment take centre stage
Economic cooperation is expected to be at the top of the agenda, particularly when it comes to energy, infrastructure and the key minerals that are essential for battery and defense production.
In 2024, India moved up to become the seventh-largest trading partner for Canada, with trade between the two countries amounting to USD 30.8 billion. The aim is to increase this to USD 70 billion by 2030 through a future CEPA agreement.
Carney's visit to India is part of a larger tour of the Asia-Pacific region that also includes Australia and Japan, which indicates that Canada is seeking to diversify its trade relationships in light of the new global realities.
