 "India central to supply chains; must be part of G7 discussions: Canadian PM")
Just hours after inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to this month’s G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada’s newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney cited India’s economic strength as a key reason for the invitation. The move is being seen as an effort to repair relations between the two nations, which had deteriorated under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
“As chair of the G7, it is important to invite the most important countries to attend to talk about important issues such as energy, artificial intelligence, critical minerals, and India is really at the very centre of global supply chains,” Carney said at a press conference on Parliament Hill, according to The Globe and Mail.
Carney also pointed out that the world’s most populous country, with the "fifth-largest" (now, the fourth-largest) economy, ought to have a seat at the G7 table.
Strained ties under Trudeau
Diplomatic relations between India and Canada were strained in 2023 when then prime minister Trudeau alleged the “potential” involvement of Indian government agents in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan separatist living in Canada. India dismissed the claims as “absurd” and “motivated.”
When asked on Friday whether he believed India had a role in Nijjar’s killing, Carney refused to comment. “There is a legal process that is literally under way and quite advanced in Canada, and it’s never appropriate to make comments with respect to those legal processes,” he said.
However, he mentioned that Canada and India had agreed to maintain “continued law enforcement dialogue,” though he did not clarify if this included cooperation in the Nijjar investigation.
PM Modi confirms participation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed on Friday that he would attend the G7 summit. In a post on X, he congratulated Carney on his election win and expressed hope for stronger ties between the two countries.
“Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister Mark J Carney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit,” PM Modi wrote.
Notably, it is common for the G7 host nation to invite select countries as guests or outreach partners. So far, Canada has extended invitations to Ukraine and Australia.
India has been a regular invitee to the G7 since 2019. Apart from 2020, when the summit was cancelled by the US due to the pandemic, Prime Minister Modi has participated in every G7 meeting since August 2019.