A positive diplomatic step for Canada, India

“When we’re trying to solve difficult national issues it’s sometimes necessary to talk to adversaries as well as friends. Historians have a word for this: diplomacy.”

— Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

The Government of India has agreed to readmit a full delegation of Canadian diplomats into that nation, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand announced on Tuesday. The announcement followed a meeting in India between Anand, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials of that government. The two nations have also signed a statement outlining areas in which they intend to co-operate, including trade and artificial intelligence.

The thawing in relations between the two governments will surprise, and possibly concern, many Canadians, given that the RCMP accused the Modi government in 2023 of being involved in violent acts in Canada that allegedly included murders and acts of extortion.

Those allegations included the accusation, made by the Trudeau government in September 2023, that the Indian government had played a role in the assassination of a Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, near Vancouver earlier that year. One month later, Canada dramatically reduced its diplomatic presence in India, after the Modi government threatened to strip diplomatic immunity from 41 Canadian diplomats and their 42 dependants.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations made by the RCMP, there were signs earlier this year that relations between the two nations were improving. In June, Modi attended the G7 summit in Alberta as a guest of Prime Minister Mark Carney. The readout following the meeting between the two prime ministers said they had agreed to “continued law enforcement dialogue and discussions addressing security concerns” surrounding Canada’s allegations.

Indian media also reported at the time that the two had agreed on “calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability,” including the return of high commissioners to each other’s capitals. That occurred in August, when both countries named new high commissioners to the other nation.

Given that agreement, Anand’s announcement marks the next step in a process agreed to by Carney and Modi in June — a plan that could eventually lead to the restoration of the comprehensive diplomatic relationship that existed between the two governments prior to the controversy two years ago.

Some Canadians — particularly those in the business community, who regard India as a vital foreign market — will regard the apparent warming of relations as a positive development, but many will not. On Monday, the World Sikh Organization of Canada said it is “deeply concerned” that the two governments have offered “no assurances about stopping foreign interference or transnational repression.”

Beyond those concerns of that organization, the Angus Reid Institute also announced on Monday that a poll it had conducted in late September found that Canadians believe — by a huge 51 per cent to 22 per cent margin — that it was the “right move” for Canada to restore ties with India. The poll also found, however, that an even larger majority (54 per cent) have unfavourable views of India, while 60 per cent believe Canada should approach India with caution (35 per cent), or even as a potential threat or enemy (23 per cent).

That’s significant, but the same poll also found that Canadians’ priorities regarding the relationship between the two nations have shifted as a consequence of the economic turmoil caused by U.S. President Donald Trump.

When asked what should be most important to Canada in its relationship with India, 52 per cent of respondents believed it should be the rule of law, but 48 per cent said it should be trade opportunities. Last year, the percentages leaned more toward the former (62 per cent) than the latter (38 per cent).

That brings us back to the words spoken by Ambassador Albright, set out above. She correctly pointed out that solving difficult issues often demands that a government interact not only with its friends, but also with governments with whom it does not enjoy warm relations.

Those words apply to the Canada-India relationship. The allegations made by the RCMP are deeply concerning, but they represent just one dimension of Canada’s complex, multi-dimensional relationship with India.

Given the deep, longstanding ties between the two nations as fellow Commonwealth members, the large and growing Indian diaspora in Canada and the importance of establishing a renewed and vigorous economic relationship between the two nations, the diplomatic impasse that has existed for the past two years could not be allowed to continue.

For that reason, we welcome Anand’s announcement. The concerns regarding the Modi government’s involvement in unethical activities in Canada must be investigated and resolved, but those concerns must not continue to obstruct, let alone harm, an important diplomatic and commercial relationship that serves vital interests of both nations.