Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has underscored the “progress” his government has made with India as part of his government’s strategy to reduce his country’s dependence on trade with the United States.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday in Gyeongju, South Korea, Carney said the traction that plan is assuming was, among other things, exemplified by the “progress which we have been making with India.”
While India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Carney said that Canada’s minister of foreign affairs Anita Anand and others in his cabinet engaged with their Indian counterparts.
He added that the overarching attempt was to build domestically, “build these partnerships abroad, reduce our reliance on the United States.”
In a release, the Prime Minister’s Office, “As we pursue our ambitious new mission to double our non-US exports in the next decade, Canada’s new government is focused on working with partners across the Indo-Pacific to unlock new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses.”
“The Indo-Pacific presents enormous opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses. Canada is ready to seize these opportunities and play to win,” Carney said.
After assuming charge as Canada’s PM in March this year, Carney has steered a gradual reset in the relationship with India which cratered in September 2023 when his predecessor Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 that year.
India described those accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.” In October last year, matters worsened when India withdrew six diplomats and officials after Ottawa asked New Delhi to waive their immunity so they could be questioned in connection with violent criminal activity in Canada. In retaliation, India expelled six Canadian diplomats.
The breakthrough came when Carney held a bilateral meeting with Modi on the margins of the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis this June. Among the outcomes of that meeting was restoration of high commissioners to the two capitals, where both envoys are now in place.
The “systematic approach” Canada is taking towards renewal of ties was marked by Anand’s visit to India in October where she met external affairs minister S Jaishankar and commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal. Goyal also spoke to Canada’s minister of international trade Maninder Sidhu in October.
Additional visits by senior officials on both sides are expected this year. India has formally invited Carney to attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in February next year.
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