New Delhi, March 21 — India on Friday attributed the deterioration in its ties with Canada to the “license” given to extremist and secessionist elements in the North American country.
“The downturn in India-Canada relations was caused by the license that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements in the country. Our hope is that we can rebuild our ties based on mutual trust and sensitivity,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, as quoted by ANI.
Jaiswal’s remarks came as Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister on March 15, replacing Justin Trudeau. Ahead of his swearing-in, Carney signaled his intent to improve ties with India. “There are opportunities to rebuild the relationship with India—there needs to be a shared sense of values around that commercial relationship, and if I am the Prime Minister, I look forward to the opportunity to build that,” Carney said.
The India-Canada relationship soured in 2023 after Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in the killing of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. India repeatedly denied the allegations, with the MEA stating that Canada provided “no evidence” to support its claims.
Following the diplomatic row, both countries expelled senior diplomats. In December, the MEA blamed Trudeau for the fallout, saying, “The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.” Trudeau later admitted he had only intelligence but no “hard evidentiary proof” when making the allegations.
