Canada and India have agreed to designate new high commissioners and restore regular diplomatic services to citizens in both countries, following a meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Alberta.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the move in a readout of the meeting Tuesday.
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials last fall, following news that law enforcement had linked agents of the Indian government to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens.
India expelled the acting Canadian high commissioner in New Delhi and five other Canadian diplomats last fall in response, and the posts have remained vacant since then.
India has been singled out by Canadian intelligence officials as a prolific perpetrator of foreign interference in Canada, including transnational repression — an issue the G7 leaders singled out in one of several joint statements issued as their summit wrapped up.
As their bilateral meeting began, Carney said it was “a great honour” to host Modi at the G7.
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“It’s a testament to the importance of your country, to your leadership, and to the importance of the issues that we look to tackle together,” Carney said, noting that includes the energy transition, the future of AI and the fight against transnational repression and terrorism.
Speaking through a translator, Modi said he thinks it joining the G7 summit was a great opportunity to serve the global good.
“I believe that India-Canada relations are extremely important, and and India and Canada should work together,” Modi said, noting that both countries stand for democratic values.
Modi called the meeting with Carney “excellent” in a post on social media.
“India and Canada are connected by a strong belief in democracy, freedom and rule of law,” he wrote on X. “PM Carney and I look forward to working closely to add momentum to the India-Canada friendship.”
Carney invited Modi to the summit along with a number of other world leaders who are not part of the G7. Modi’s visit prompted loud protest from Sikh separatist groups.
In 2023 and 2024, former prime minister Justin Trudeau and the RCMP said there was evidence linking agents of the Indian government to the murder of Canadian Sikh separatist activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023.
Last October, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the police force had evidence linking Indian government officials to other crimes in Canada, including extortion, coercion and homicide.
The G7 leaders noted in a joint statement that they are “deeply concerned by growing reports of transnational repression,” defined in the statement as an aggressive form of foreign interference in which states or their proxies try to intimidate, harass, harm or coerce people outside their borders.
The statement condemns all forms of transnational repression, which can include a range of activities from assassination to cyber-surveillance.
It calls for member countries to report on transnational repression in the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism public reports, and develop a framework to co-operate to counter such activities.
—With files from Global News
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