In a diplomatic outreach, Canadian PM Mark Carney called PM Modi and invited him for the G7 summit that begins eight days from now at Kananaskis in Alberta. Modi accepted the invitation and said he was looking forward to meeting him at the summit.
The announcement by Modi himself on X followed suspense over his participation because of a lack of invitation, drawing barbs from the opposition about his possible exclusion from the group of heads of govt of the world’s premier economies. India is not a member of G7 but Modi has been invited for all summits since 2019.
Modi had congratulated Carney on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation. “As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests,” Modi posted on X.
Without elaborating, a Canadian readout said that “importantly, there was agreement to continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns.”
Modi and Carney have pledged to rebuild the relationship that was left tottering by former PM Justin Trudeau’s allegation of India’s complicity in the murder of pro-Khalistan separatist and Canadian national Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi has rejected the allegation saying Ottawa hasn’t provided any evidence to back its claim.
The Indian govt will hope that Canada will ensure enough security to not allow Sikh separatist groups, who had been applying pressure on Carney to not invite Modi, to disrupt the visit. India’s official position remains that the main issue with Canada is the leeway provided to Khalistan backers to carry out anti-India activities. For India to engage in any serious effort to rebuild the relationship, foolproof security for the country’s diplomats, along with a crackdown on extremists and secessionists who seek to hurt Indian interests, is of paramount importance.
Modi had last visited Canada in 2015. While the two countries are also said to be considering reappointing high commissioners, both Canadian and Indian authorities maintain they are looking at repairing ties one step at a time.
Asked about the Nijjar investigations, Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand said last week that while the rule of law will never be compromised, Canada is looking forward to continuing to build this partnership.
