Canada's foreign minister Anita Anand's India visit: What's on agenda?

Anita Anand will travel to Mumbai on Tuesday, where she will meet with Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation, and economic opportunities in both countries

Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand is set to meet her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on Monday in New Delhi in a bid to repair bilateral ties following a diplomatic setback under the previous Justin Trudeau-led government. She will also meet Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal today as both countries work toward creating a framework for strategic cooperation on issues such as trade diversification, energy transition, and security.

 

Anand, who is on a two-day visit to India, landed in New Delhi on Sunday, October 12, and was welcomed by Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. In a post on X, Jaiswal noted that Anand’s visit aims to build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations, revitalise bilateral mechanisms, deepen economic cooperation, and further strengthen people-to-people ties.

 

Following her engagements in Delhi, Anand will also travel to Mumbai Tuesday, where she will meet with Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation, and economic opportunities in both countries.

What's on agenda?

Announcing the visit last week, the Canadian government said it is aimed at “advancing bilateral relations and cooperation” with countries including India, Singapore, and China, as part of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. 

 

"For Canada to be strong at home, we need strong, stable partnerships abroad. I am building bridges and increasing cooperation with India, Singapore, and China. In line with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, I will be working to advance efforts to position Canada as a trusted, reliable partner of choice for Indo-Pacific countries and their economies," Anand said in a statement.

 

The visit also comes at a time when both countries are working to repair relations that came under strain during the previous Justin Trudeau-led Liberal government. In September 2023, Trudeau stood in Canadian parliament to raise "credible allegations" of “direct link” between the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil and "agents of the Indian government". The Indian government rejected Trudeau's claims, saying the allegations were "absurd" and "motivated".

 

The issue developed into a full-blown diplomatic rift, with both countries expelling each other’s top diplomats.

Rebuilding relations

However, things have improved since Trudeau's exit from the government. His successor, Mark Carney, invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June. He also appointed new senior diplomats to reopen communication channels and began collaboration with India on cross-border crime intelligence sharing.

 

Last month, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin during her visit to India. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the discussions were useful in improving bilateral relations, covering areas such as counter-terrorism, tackling international organised crime, and intelligence sharing. Both sides agreed to strengthen security cooperation and further build on existing engagement mechanisms.

India-Canada trade ties

In June this year, India and Canada decided to resume talks for an interim trade agreement after a lull of nearly two years.

 

During the 2024-25 financial year (FY25), the total bilateral trade in goods between the two countries stood at $8.6 billion. In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with two-way trade coming to $30.9 billion.