India and Canada will soon reappoint High Commissioners to each other's capitals, marking a clear move to mend diplomatic ties that had frayed during Justin Trudeau’s tenure as Canadian Prime Minister.
The decision was taken after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his newly elected Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis on Tuesday. Both leaders agreed on a phased approach to restoring bilateral relations.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, while briefing on the meeting, said, “The Prime Ministers agreed to take calibrated steps to restore stability to this very important relationship and the first of these steps that was agreed on was to restore the High Commissioners to each other's capitals at an early date. Other diplomatic steps will follow in due course.”
The leaders also agreed to instruct their respective officials to re-engage on trade negotiations, which have been stalled for several months. “In view of the trade negotiations that are currently paused, the two leaders decided to instruct their officials to take it up at an early date,” Misri noted, adding that both countries wished to resume dialogue and services for citizens and businesses.
Also read: India, Canada remend ties with 'envoy deal' at G7 Summit
Discussions also covered people-to-people ties, commercial engagement, and strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. The leaders stressed the importance of resilient global supply chains and collaboration in clean energy, underscoring their commitment to sustainable economic growth.
A statement from the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said Carney and Modi “reaffirmed the significance of Canada-India relations, anchored in mutual respect, adherence to the rule of law, and a shared commitment to sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“The leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries,” the statement added.
In October last year, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced the withdrawal of its High Commissioner, Sanjay Verma, along with several other “targeted” officials, following Ottawa’s allegations linking Indian diplomats to the investigation into the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The move marked a sharp deterioration in already strained ties between the two countries.
Canada had named Verma a “person of interest” in connection with the June 2023 killing of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen whom India has officially designated as a Khalistani terrorist. Anticipating further action from Ottawa, New Delhi pre-emptively recalled Verma and five other diplomats who were similarly implicated.
Commenting on the matter at the time, Verma had stated, “This is the pits. This is the most unprofessional approach to a bilateral relation. There are diplomatic tools available in the hands of a diplomat. Those tools could have been used” instead of attempting to interrogate a country’s top envoy and other officials.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Carney also highlighted key G7 priorities such as countering transnational crime, safeguarding global security, and upholding the rules-based international order. Discussions extended to potential cooperation in technology, digital infrastructure, food security, and critical minerals.
The meeting is being viewed by diplomatic observers as a pivotal reset in relations between the two democracies after months of acrimony. The reinstatement of envoys is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader normalisation of ties in the months to come.
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