Canada Moves to Restore Trade Ties with India Despite Diplomatic Strains

Ottawa – Canada has launched high-level diplomatic efforts to strengthen trade relations with India, even as lingering tensions remain over the 2023 killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canadian Minister for International Trade, Mandar Sidhu, concluded a three-day visit to New Delhi on Wednesday with a joint press conference alongside Indian Minister of Commerce, Piyush Goyal. The leaders discussed expanding bilateral cooperation across sectors such as aerospace, artificial intelligence, energy, critical minerals, and agriculture.

“The meeting went really well. We focused on areas of opportunity, aerospace, AI, critical minerals, energy, agriculture, and what more we can do together,” Sidhu said. He highlighted Canada’s potential to attract Indian investment in strategic sectors and underscored both countries’ commitment to advancing new joint initiatives.

Sidhu also emphasized Canada’s capacity to develop electric batteries and invited Indian investment in mining critical minerals and infrastructure projects, reflecting Ottawa’s focus on practical economic collaboration.

The visit marks one of the highest-level trade engagements since 2023, when bilateral negotiations were halted following investigations linking India to the killing of Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist leader. At the time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had stated there were “credible links” implicating the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In retaliation, New Delhi expelled six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) investigations have since led to several arrests in connection with Nijjar’s killing. Indian nationals Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh, and Karan Brar were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, while another individual, Amandeep Singh, was charged while already in Canadian custody for unrelated firearms offenses.

Despite these past tensions, Trudeau’s successor, Prime Minister Mark Carney, has sought to re-establish ties with India. Sidhu told Reuters that his government is eager to attract investment from New Delhi, particularly in the energy and critical minerals sectors.

Political observers, however, caution that Canada’s engagement with India must address concerns over alleged involvement in Nijjar’s killing. Members of Canada’s Sikh community have questioned whether their security concerns are being taken seriously amid renewed diplomatic and trade efforts.

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