India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to skip this month’s G7 summit in Canada – the first time in six years that he would miss the gathering – in a move seen by observers as a reflection of ongoing bilateral tensions despite the recent change in government in Ottawa.
The June 15–17 meeting of leaders from the Group of Seven advanced economies – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta. Although India is not a G7 member, it has been regularly invited to take part in meetings in recent years.
However, Indian media reports suggest that no invitation has been extended to New Delhi this time by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration, based on information from unnamed insider sources and the absence of any formal announcement from either government.
Modi’s expected absence this year is being closely watched for signals on the future of India–Canada relations under Carney, who took office in March following the Liberal Party’s leadership election. His party currently leads a minority government after winning the federal election in April.
Carney’s ascendancy had kindled hopes that the two countries could move past a period of diplomatic estrangement experienced under the previous Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau. The inclusion last month of four Indian-origin politicians in key roles in Carney’s government, including Foreign Minister Anita Anand, raised hopes for an improvement in relations.
Bilateral ties plummeted in 2023 after Trudeau alleged that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, leader of a Sikh separatist movement in India, in the Canadian city of Surrey. The incident resulted in a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats and disrupted trade talks.
