MEA Says India Hopes To Rebuild Ties With Canada After Mark Carney Takes Charge As PM

In a fresh turn in the tanking India-Canada bilateral relationship, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said it hopes to rebuild ties with Canada based on "mutual trust and sensitivity". MEA blamed the "licence" that was given to the "extremist and secessionist elements" in Canada for the deterioration in the relations.

MEA's comments came days after Mark Carney, an economist and political newcomer, took charge as Canada's new prime minister following the stepping down of Justin Trudeau from the top post.

On March 14, Liberal leader Mark Carney officially sworn in as the next prime minister of Canada. With Carney's swearing in, Justin Trudeau has officially stepped down from the top post after 10 years as prime minister. Carney has said he wants to improve ties with India.

What Did The MEA Say?

Responding to a question at his weekly media briefing on the current status of India-Canada bilateral ties, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "The downturn in India-Canada relations was caused by the license that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements in that country."

"Our hope is that we can rebuild our ties based on mutual trust and sensitivity," he further added.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service chief Daniel Rogers visited India last week to attend a conclave of top global intelligence czars, in an indication of efforts to improve the ties between the two sides.

India-Canada Ties

On September 2023, the ties between India and Canada came under strain following then Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's controversial allegations concerning "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. New Delhi, however, rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd".

The relations nosedived further in the second half of last year after Ottawa linked several Indian diplomats including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma to the murder of Nijjar.

In October last, India withdrew Verma and five other diplomats.India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats from New Delhi.

In the last few months, the security officials of India and Canada resumed contacts and both sides are looking at the possibility of appointing new high commissioners.

(With PTI Inputs)