Amid Donald Trump’s tariff threats, both India and Canada are now taking steps to cool an escalation of diplomatic tensions that erupted in recent years.
According to a Bloomberg report, both New Delhi and Ottawa are considering sending back envoys following tit-for-tat expulsions last year.
Last October, India expelled six Canadian diplomats after withdrawing its high commissioner, after the envoy was labelled as ‘person of interest’ in the Canadian authorities’ probe into the killing of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.
The Bloomberg report further said that Canada’s intelligence chief Daniel Rogers participated in an intelligence conclave hosted by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in New Delhi last week.
A meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Alberta in June cannot be ruled out, the report added. India is an observer to the G-7.
2023: Canada-India tensions escalate
In September 2023, then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau claimed there were “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and the killing of Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey town on June 18 that year. India rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated”.
A Canadian official told Bloomberg that the North American country has been seeking “better ties” with New Delhi for months, “contingent on respect for Canada’s laws, and the approach has not changed since Trudeau left office.”
The ease in diplomatic tensions comes as both India and Canada are being targeted by US President Donald Trump, with higher tariffs and expect to see jolts to their economies when sweeping duties take effect on April 2.
Many countries are looking to bolster ties with other trading partners to offset the possible slide in US trade.
“What Canada will be looking to do is to diversify our trading relationships with like-minded countries, and there are opportunities to rebuild the relationships with India,” Carney told reporters on March 4, days before he won a race to succeed Trudeau as leader of Canada’s Liberal Party.
On March 21, India’s ministry of external affairs said that the downturn in bilateral relations was caused due to the “license” to “extremist and secessionist elements” in Canada.
“The downturn in India-Canada relations was caused by the license that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements in the country. Our hope is that we can rebuild our ties based on mutual trust and sensitivity,” ANI quoted ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal as saying.