India, Canada agree upon 'ambitious roadmap' to rebuild ties

New Delhi: India and Canada on Monday agreed on a new roadmap to rebuild bilateral relations, moving on from the acrimony over the murder of a Khalistani Sikh extremist in the North American country.

The “ambitious roadmap” aims to advance “cooperation in various domains, including trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, civil nuclear collaboration, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and energy”, said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar after he and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand met in New Delhi.

In his opening remarks in the meeting, Jaishankar avoided directly referring to India’s concerns over Khalistani Sikh extremists' secessionist campaign against India in Canada.

He, however, noted that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart, National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie G Drouin, had met in New Delhi on September 18 in what was “an important first step” towards enhancing bilateral security cooperation.

Anand wrote on X that Canada and India were “pursuing a constructive and balanced partnership” grounded in the “ongoing law enforcement dialogue and growing economic partnership opportunities, including in the areas of energy, trade and AI”.

Ottawa is keen to continue dialogue between the two countries' law enforcement agencies to deal with the allegations of syndicates linked to India involved in criminal activities in the North American country.

Anand also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal.

The joint statement issued after the Jaishankar-Anand meeting said the ministers recognised that in the context of ongoing global economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions, a strong and resilient India-Canada bilateral relationship was essential.

“Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic cooperation but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances, ensure more reliable supply chains, and reinforce strategic stability in an increasingly complex international environment,” it added.

The ministers noted that the bilateral trade had reached $23.66 billion in 2024.

The bilateral relations hit a new low on September 18, 2023, when then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau accused India of playing a role in the killing of Khalistani Sikh terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

Ottawa in October 2024 accused New Delhi’s envoy Sanjay Kumar Verma and his five colleagues of playing a role in the June 18, 2023, killing.

New Delhi withdrew Verma and its other diplomats from Canada after denying Ottawa’s request to waive their diplomatic immunity and make them available for police questioning in connection with the murder. India also expelled six Canadian diplomats.