Mark Carney’s first trip to India as Canadian prime minister is tied to a dual track of diplomacy and economics, with Ottawa seeking to stabilize relations after a serious diplomatic rupture and to reduce reliance on the U.S. market. The Associated Press reported that Carney is in India this week as part of an effort to restore ties with the world’s fourth-largest economy and diversify trade, with additional travel to Australia and Japan planned for next week.
Carney’s schedule calls for arrival in Mumbai on Friday after his plane left Ottawa on Thursday, as Canada tries to pivot its economic relationships in the face of criticism and threats from Washington. The AP said U.S. President Donald Trump has been seen in Canada as a challenge to the country’s economy and sovereignty, including through claims that Canada should be “the 51st state.”
The India portion of Carney’s trip comes after a difficult period in bilateral relations that began with allegations involving Sikh separatism. The AP said Canada and India agreed last year to restore diplomatic services after Ottawa accused New Delhi in 2023 of alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hareep Singh Nijjar, an allegation India denied.
The AP said the diplomatic strain intensified after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made remarks in Parliament in September 2023, saying there were “credible allegations” about India’s link to Nijjar’s killing near Vancouver. It said New Delhi vehemently denied the allegations and accused Trudeau’s government of harboring extremists, while Nijjar was described in the report as a prominent member of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India and regarded by some Sikh organizations as human rights advocacy.
In the months that followed, the AP described additional allegations made publicly by Trudeau and Canadian police officials nearly 16 months ago, saying Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information with their government, which they said was then passed to organized crime groups in Canada. The report said the officials described a pattern of violence and intimidation directed at activists who are Canadian citizens, including drive-by shootings, extortion and murder.
Carney’s approach, the report said, is framed by Canadian officials and outside observers as a different business-oriented direction than what Trudeau pursued during the dispute. Political scientist Nelson Wiseman, based at the University of Toronto, told the AP that “the attitudes of India and Canada toward one another have taken a 180-degree turn” and characterized Carney’s orientation as unlike Trudeau’s.
Public safety officials also framed the diplomatic reset as incomplete from a security perspective. The AP quoted Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree as saying there’s “a lot more work to do” to ensure agents of the Indian government are not coercing or intimidating people in Canada.
Sikh community representatives, however, said they remain unconvinced that the issue has been resolved. The AP reported that Danish Singh, president of the World Sikh Organization of Canada, said his group is “deeply disappointed” and cited what he called “absolute capitulation” and “appeasement” toward India. Singh said activists continue to be harassed, and he said families have received warnings about risks to their lives while the government is asking people to believe the problem has been solved.
The AP said Canada and India also moved toward economic cooperation last year after years of mistrust, including efforts to advance a trade deal. It reported that in 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner, and it said Carney has set a goal for Canada to double its non-U.S. exports over the next decade, pointing to U.S. tariffs as chilling investment.
The visit also unfolds against broader uncertainty in Canada’s relationship with the U.S. The AP said Trump recently threatened a 100% tariff on goods imported from Canada over a proposed China trade deal, intensifying a feud with the longtime U.S. ally. In recent remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the AP reported, Carney criticized economic coercion by great powers on smaller countries and received praise that drew attention away from Trump at the gathering. Robert Bothwell, a professor at the University of Toronto, told the AP that cordial relations with countries like India reflect a “Davos doctrine enunciated by Carney,” and he said India would be open to discussions given the impact of Trump’s tariff warfare and shared interest in stability.