Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada on December 11 and 12, his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, confirmed on Thursday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada on December 11 and 12, his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, confirmed on Thursday. The Canadian premier made the remarks while speaking with visitors at a local Calgary restaurant on Thursday morning, as he met with Albertans ahead of Monday’s referendum vote.
Carney said that he “just spoke” to PM Modi, noting that the Indian prime minister will be in Toronto and Ottawa, but added, “We’ll see if we can broaden it out.” The visit comes as Canada’s International Trade Minister, Maninder Sidhu, leads a six-day trade mission in India.
The ties between the two nations improved significantly as they both seek to finalise a trade pact by the end of this year. The two nations are seeking to double two-way trade to $70 billion annually by 2030. On Wednesday, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand met with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar in New Delhi.
India, Canada recalibrate ties
It is pertinent to note that PM Modi’s highly anticipated visit to Canada is coming as the two nations are seeking to recalibrate their relationship after years of tension. Back in 2023, then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood in the House of Commons and said there were “credible allegations that agents of the Indian government” were involved in the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
More from WorldA year after this, Canada’s RCMP and the federal government accused Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada of engaging in clandestine activities linked to serious criminal activity, including homicides and extortion. Canada went on to expel six Indian diplomats, while India kicked out six Canadian diplomats in retaliation.
New Delhi has denied all the allegations hurled by the Trudeau administration, leaving the two nations embroiled in a major diplomatic row. However, since Carney came to power last year, Canada’s tone towards India has changed significantly.
In November last year, Carney visited India and said he considers the country to be “a reliable trading partner.” The RCMP, meanwhile, have since said there are no current criminal links connecting India to transnational repression in Canada.
“In the files that we have that involve transnational repression, we’re not seeing any connection right now with any foreign entity, based on the criminal information, the investigations that we have presently,” RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said in March.
The two nations also improved their ties as they face high tariffs unleashed by US President Donald Trump. Hence, they can be considered to be mending their ties in order to diversify their trading options.
