Mark Carney’s election as Canada’s new prime minister has opened the door to a reset in relations with India, with analysts hopeful the change in leadership could help both nations move past a period of diplomatic estrangement under the leadership of Justin Trudeau.
Bilateral relations deteriorated after Trudeau alleged in 2023 that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and leader of a Sikh separatist movement in India.
The incident snowballed into a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats from each other’s country, putting trade talks in limbo.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was among the first world leaders to congratulate Carney, expressed hopes of unlocking new opportunities in bilateral relations. Carney too has hinted at reforming relations with India in the run-up to the polls.
“I think that there is a silver lining there for Indo-Canadian relations. The rhetoric by Carney during his campaign has junked most of the political grandstanding that Trudeau did and that may be a good starting point,” said Vivek Mishra, deputy director of strategic studies programme at the Observer Research Foundation.
A reset, however, would depend on Ottawa’s relationship with Washington – particularly amid renewed economic friction, Mishra said.
