Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is gearing up for an exciting trip to India on February 26th. The purpose of his visit is to strengthen the already strong bonds between the two nations and create new partnerships in areas such as defence, energy, and artificial intelligence.
During his trip, Carney will have the opportunity to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai and New Delhi. A press release from the Prime Minister's office stated that the two leaders will be working towards expanding and elevating the Canada-India relationship. They have ambitious plans to collaborate in trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence, talent, culture, and defence.
Carney will also be meeting with business leaders to explore investment opportunities in Canada and establish new partnerships between businesses from both countries. This could greatly benefit the economies of both nations.
In 2024, India was Canada's seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with a total trade of USD 30.8 billion. Last year, at the G20 Leaders' Summit, Canada and India took the first step towards an even stronger economic partnership. They agreed to initiate negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with the goal of doubling two-way trade to USD 70 billion by 2030.
The relationship between India and Canada faced a rough patch in 2023 when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India firmly rejected these allegations, calling them absurd. This led to a strain in their relations, and in 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats from Canada. In retaliation, Canada expelled an equal number of Indian diplomats.
However, the situation started to improve after the parliamentary election in April last year, which saw the victory of Liberal Party leader Carney. Both countries have since appointed high commissioners in each other's capitals, marking a positive step towards resetting their relations.
We are looking forward to the outcomes of Carney's visit to India and the new partnerships that will be forged between these two great nations. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development.
