India-Canada relations: PM Modi, counterpart Mark Carney pledge to revive diplomatic ties after Hardeep Nijjar's row

Prime Minister Mark Carney, who assumed office in March, extended an invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to join him in the Canadian Rockies as a guest at the Group of Seven (G7) summit. In a significant move, both agreed on Tuesday to return ambassadors to each other's capitals, turning the page on a bitter spat over Hardeep Singh Nijjar's assassination.

The two leaders agreed that the India and Canada would appoint new high commissioners, as ambassadors are known between Commonwealth nations and made the decision “with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries”, according to the Canadian prime minister's office.

What was Hardeep Singh Nijjar's row?

Last year, Carney's predecessor, Justin Trudeau, publicly accused India of being involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist Nijjar on Canadian soil and expelled the Indian ambassador, prompting a strong retaliatory response from India. Nijjar advocated for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan and was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia in 2023.

The dispute had significantly disrupted diplomatic relations between the two nations, which shared $9 billion in trade in 2023 and maintain strong cultural connections through Canada's large Indian diaspora. Canada was forced to halt in-person services at all its diplomatic missions in India, except for the embassy in New Delhi.

Modi, Carney on India-Canada relations

PM Modi said, “The relationship between India and Canada is very important in many ways.” While congratulating Carney on guiding his Liberal Party to an election victory, Modi stated, "I am confident that together...India and Canada will work together to make progress in many areas."

It was a "great honour" to welcome Modi to the G7 summit, Carney mentioned but made a passing allusion to the domestically sensitive spat with a reference to “transnational repression”. He said he wishes to work with India on “the issues that we look to tackle together, from energy security... the future of artificial intelligence, to the fight that we have against transnational repression and against terrorism”.

"I think today's meeting was important, but I would describe it as foundational, a necessary first step: an exchange of views-frank, open exchange of views around law enforcement and transnational repression, as two examples-an agreement to provide the necessary foundations to begin rebuilding a relationship based on mutual respect, sovereignty, and trust. We will move to appoint High Commissioners again...," ANI quoted Carney as saying.

(With inputs from AFP and ANI)