India-Canada ties transformed, Carney's visit to solidify relationship

Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik highlighted the transformation in India-Canada relations, stating that PM Mark Carney's upcoming visit will solidify the reset ties, previously strained, and enhance bilateral cooperation in all sectors.

High Commissioner of India to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, on Tuesday, said that the relationship between Canada and India has transformed in recent months and added that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to India will "put a stamp" on all bilateral steps taken to "solidify" the New Delhi-Ottawa relationship, which was strained under the leadership of former Canada PM Justin Trudeau.

Noting the efforts from both sides to "reset" the relationship, Dinesh Patnaik shared that Carney's visit on February 26 will ensure increased bilateral cooperation among all sectors. Speaking with ANI, Dinesh Patnaik said, "The Canadian relations have transformed over the last few months, especially after Prime Minister Modi visited Canada to attend the G7 Summit. Since the last four to five months, we've been working very hard to ensure that the relationship is reset to what it was before... This visit will put a stamp on all the activities that have happened to solidify the relationship and to take it to the next level," he said.

Details of Canadian PM's India Visit

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to visit India from February 26 to March 7, 2026, as part of a broader Indo-Pacific tour aimed at strengthening trade, energy, and strategic partnerships. During his visit, Carney will meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss expanding cooperation in areas like trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence, talent mobility, culture, and defence.

Multi-dimensional Cooperation Expected

He said that we can expect agreements on various sectors such as cultural, defence, aerospace, space, energy, critical minerals, innovations, education and AI, adding, "This is a multi-dimensional relationship, and you will see all dimensions during the visit."

'Complementary Economies' to Diversify Supply Chains

Noting that New Delhi and Ottawa are "complementary economies," Dinesh Patnaik said that cooperation between both countries will help India to diversify its supply chain. "Canada and India have complementary economies. Canada has a large number of resources, including energy, agriculture, fertiliser, and critical minerals, which are part of the supply chain we are thinking of setting up. A deal with Canada would help us very much in diversifying our supply chain away from the traditional sources," he said.

Resetting a Strained Relationship

The India-Canada relationship suffered after Justin Trudeau alleged Indian agents' involvement in the killing of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Canada in 2023. India had rejected the allegations, calling them "politically motivated". After Mark Carney succeeded Trudeau, both countries have worked together to improve the relationship.

Potential Outcomes: CEPA, Energy, and Innovation

In November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Carney agreed to formally relaunch talks on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to India on February 26 will bring potential outcomes on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), formal negotiations are expected to begin, aiming to double bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030; Energy and Uranium deals, a 10-year Canadian $ 2.8 billion uranium supply deal and agreements on energy and mining are likely to be signed and AI and Innovation partnerships in critical minerals is expected to be a focus area. (ANI)

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