Mark Carney's visit to India: One-on-one meet with PM Modi, meeting with CEOs on the cards. Details here

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit India on Friday for the first time since he took the reins from Justin Trudeau. Carney will undertake a four-day visit to India beginning Friday, marking a significant step in efforts by both sides to normalise relations after a period of sharp diplomatic strain.

What lies ahead?

Carney and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi are set to chart a “forward-looking” roadmap to regenerate bilateral ties during wide-ranging talks in New Delhi on Monday, according to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). 

The MEA said the two leaders will review progress across the India-Canada strategic partnership and seek to inject fresh momentum into cooperation in trade and investment, energy, critical minerals, technology, agriculture, education and innovation. They will also exchange views on key regional and global developments.

“The forthcoming meeting between the leaders will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the positive momentum and shared vision of India and Canada in building a forward-looking partnership,” the MEA said, describing the visit as coming at an important juncture in the reset of ties.

Meeting with CEOs in Mumbai

Carney’s visit will begin in Mumbai on February 27, where he will hold separate business engagements and interact with top Indian and Canadian corporate leaders, financial experts and innovators over the next two days.

Modi and Carney are scheduled to attend the India-Canada CEOs Forum, signalling a push to deepen business-to-business collaboration. He will arrive in New Delhi on Sunday ahead of formal talks with Modi the following day.

How did relations move from a diplomatic low to a gradual thaw?

Bilateral ties had hit a low in 2023 after allegations by then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over a potential Indian link to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, charges New Delhi rejected as “absurd”. The fallout saw reciprocal diplomatic expulsions and a freeze in high-level engagement.

However, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April last year helped in beginning the process to reset relations to a gradual thaw. High commissioners have since been reappointed, and the two leaders held extensive discussions on the margins of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis in June, laying the groundwork for the current reset.