PM Carney’s India visit reaffirms bilateral reset

CANADIAN Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India was fruitful for both nations. New Delhi and Ottawa signed a landmark $2.6-billion uranium deal and made a commitment to seal the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by the year-end. The uranium pact comes 51 years after Indira Gandhi’s May 1974 peaceful nuclear explosion which used fissile material from Canada’s reactors, following which the world had rained brickbats on India. Carney and PM Narendra Modi have laid out an ambitious roadmap to increase bilateral trade from the current $13 billion to over $50 billion by 2030. They have also agreed to ramp up collaboration in cutting-edge sectors like artificial intelligence, small modular nuclear reactors and defence. It’s apparent that both countries are striving to safeguard their economic and strategic interests amid geopolitical uncertainties. This pragmatic approach is even more significant in the backdrop of the West Asia crisis.

Bilateral ties have been on the upswing ever since Carney took charge a year ago. His predecessor Justin Trudeau’s tenure was marked by diplomatic tensions over India’s alleged link to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in 2023. However, the Nijjar case continues to be the elephant in the room, with fresh reports in the Canadian media connecting Indian officials to the murder. India has yet again dismissed allegations of its links to transnational violence or organised crime in Canada. Notably, a Canadian readout on the talks between the two prime ministers on March 2 said Carney underscored that Canada would continue to take measures to combat “transnational repression”. The readout did not elaborate on this issue, nor did the joint statement by the two PMs mention this term.

The onus is on Canada and India to look beyond this knotty matter. Their stress on counter-terrorism, law enforcement and shared democratic values augurs well for mutual trust and long-term cooperation.