Moving to rebuild bilateral ties while insulating it from the Canadian judicial process on the 2023 killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Delhi and Ottawa are engaged in hectic negotiations to create a joint working group to deal with transnational crimes.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is reaching Canada Tuesday for the G7 Summit at the invitation of Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The Indian Express has learnt that the two sides are working overtime to “ring-fence” bilateral ties from the judicial process regarding Nijjar’s killing.
Relations between the two countries plummeted in 2023 after Justin Trudeau, the then Canadian Prime Minister, alleged “potential” involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Nijjar – a charge India rejected as “absurd” and “motivated”.
Sources said the consultative mechanism will be the first step towards assuaging concerns on both sides. While Canada will have a mechanism to discuss issues related to the judicial process, India can bring up Khalistan separatism and extremism-related concerns.
There have also been meetings between senior security officials, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on the Indian side, and the National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on the Canadian side, sources said.
The idea originated from these discussions and it is now being discussed at higher diplomatic and political levels.
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Sources said the G7 invitation to Modi is the first bold step by Carney, the newly-elected Canadian leader.
Modi’s visit is expected to lead to reappointment of new High Commissioners. India’s ambassador to Spain, Dinesh Patnaik, is a possible choice as envoy to Ottawa.
Sources said that efforts will also be made to revive dialogues on trade and investments.
Bilateral trade in goods in 2024 stood at USD 8.6 billion, much below potential. India exported USD 4.2 billion and imported USD 4.4 billion worth of goods. Bilateral trade in services in 2024 stood at USD 14.3 billion, with India exporting USD 2.5 billion and importing USD 11.8 billion worth of services.
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The 6th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment (MDTI) was held in Ottawa on May 8, 2023. Ten rounds of Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) negotiations have been held till date.
Canadian Pension Funds continue to be bullish on India, and have cumulatively invested over $75 billion in India, a very small fraction of their portfolio.
Sources said that once the shadow of the Nijjar killing is over, talks can move forward on trade pact negotiations as well. Carney, who is an economist, is expected to push for the resumption of trade talks.
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