New Delhi: In a positive sign of India-Canada ties healing after hitting an all-time low under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, his successor Mark Carney has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the G7 Summit in the country later this month. Indicating that he will attend, PM Modi said he is looking forward to meeting his Canadian counterpart at the Summit, which will be held from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis. Taking to X on Friday, PM Modi wrote he had received a call from the Canadian Prime Minister and that the two countries would work together with “renewed vigour”, guided by mutual respect. “Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister @MarkJCarney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. 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. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit,” the Prime Minister wrote.
G7 is the grouping of seven richest countries, and India has been getting an invitation to attend the prestigious Summit since 2019. The expected meeting between Modi and Carney, who is the new leader of the ruling Liberal Party following Trudeau’s resignation as his party’s fortunes dimmed under him, has raised the hope of a thaw in the ties between the countries. Carney was elected as prime minister in the snap elections in March this year. India’s ties with Canada turned frosty under the government of Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau over a host of issues, including the activities of Khalistani separatists in the country.
Trudeau had alleged the likely Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a radical Khalistani activist, in 2023. The diplomatic ties between the two countries were downgraded as the diplomatic row escalated. The bilateral relationship took a turn for worse when the Indian High Commissioner was termed a “person of interest” in the killing of Nijjar. India dismissed the fresh charge as “ludicrous” and withdrew the High Commissioner and some diplomats while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler. Even though Carney is from the same Liberal Party as Trudeau, he has described the India-Canada relationship as “incredibly important” and suggested that differences could be resolved through “mutual respect”. The invitation to PM Modi is being seen as a big step in that direction as well as a snub to Khalistani elements in Canada, who had lobbied that it not be sent.