The federal government in Canada now believes India is no longer linked to violent crime in the country, Canadian media quoted a senior official as saying during a press briefing ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s much-anticipated trip to India.
“We have a very strong diplomatic engagement, including among the national security advisers, and I think we can say that we are confident that the activity is not continuing,” an unnamed senior official was quoted as saying by the Toronto Star, Canada’s main English daily.
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Carney’s visit to India, which begins Thursday, is the latest effort to restore bilateral ties that effectively collapsed after Ottawa accused Delhi of orchestrating a deadly campaign against Sikh activists on Canadian soil.
Carney’s tenure in India faces domestic scrutiny and his dealings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be closely watched, AFP news agency reported.
India-Canada ties
Before Carney took office in April 2025, relations between Delhi and Ottawa reached an all-time low after Ottawa accused the Modi government in India of direct involvement in the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who advocated for an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) issued similar warnings in a 2024 report alleging that Indian officials and their representatives in Canada are engaging in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians.
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government further accused India of waging a campaign of intimidation against Sikh activists across Canada.
India has denied the allegations. The diplomatic row escalated in October 2024, leading to the reciprocal recall and expulsion of high commissioners and diplomats.
After Trudeau’s departure, the political landscape changed
However, after Liberal Party leader Carney’s victory in the April 2025 general election, the political landscape changed, paving the way for reconciliation.
In a sign of the normalization of relations, the two countries have already reinstated their respective high commissioners. And now, ahead of Carney’s trip to India, Canadian government officials have told the media that there has been “systematic engagement” with the Indian government, including at the level of senior officials, ministries and leadership.
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“These issues have been raised regularly and we are confident that we have a basis for further productive discussion,” a government official told BNN Bloomberg, Canada’s English-language channel and digital news platform.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand was asked Monday if Canadian concerns about transnational repression would be part of the Delhi talks.
“Yes, that’s always at the forefront of our mind,” Anand told reporters in Ottawa. Anand accompanies Carney to India.
“This is how advanced democracies work”
Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik says India has entered into an “unprecedented” security dialogue with Canada. “We’re dealing with it in advance, we’re working with Canada. That’s how advanced democracies work,” he said Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) – the country’s national public service station.
“If we find that government agents or rogue agents or Indians are connected to what happened to Mr. Nijjar, we ourselves will intervene along with the Canadians,” Patnaik told CBC’s. House in an interview taped last Friday.
However, Canada’s World Sikh Organization (WSO) says it has categorically rejected claims that India is no longer linked to violent crime and transnational repression in Canada.
“I can say with complete conviction that the claims made by this senior government official are completely false. They do not agree with what Sikh Canadians are experiencing on the ground and what we are seeing first hand,” WSO President Danish Singh said in a statement.
Carney’s visit to India
The Canadian Prime Minister will first visit Mumbai today and then head to New Delhi to hold a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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“Leaders will focus on elevating and expanding Canada-India relations with ambitious new partnerships in trade, energy, technology and artificial intelligence, talent and culture, and defence,” his office said in a statement.
The two leaders last met in November 2025 on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg to review progress in the India-Canada partnership.
During his visit, Carney will also interact with leading business leaders to identify new investment opportunities in Canada and facilitate connections between businesses from both countries.
If we find that government agents… are connected to what happened to Mr. Nijjar, we will intervene ourselves.
The visit comes at a time of significant economic cooperation. In 2024, India became Canada’s seventh largest trading partner, with total two-way trade reaching US$30.8 billion.
Building on the groundwork laid during last year’s G20 leaders’ summit, the two countries agreed to formally launch negotiations on Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The ambitious pact aims to more than double bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030.
Key things
- Canada’s diplomatic relations with India are undergoing a significant transformation.
- The Canadian government expresses confidence in the absence of Indian involvement in violent crimes.
- The upcoming discussions between Carney and Modi are crucial for future economic and security cooperation.
