'Opportunities to rebuild ties with India': New Canadian PM Mark Carney

Mark Carney, who is set to become the next PM of Canada, said there needs to be a shared sense of values around that commercial relationship

Mark Carney, the new leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party, recently expressed his intention to “rebuild” ties with India, which suffered under outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

 

The 59-year-old former banker is set to become Canada’s next Prime Minister and also wants to strengthen trade ties with New Delhi. Speaking at an event in Calgary last week, Carney said, “What Canada will be looking to do is to diversify our trading relationships with like-minded countries, and there are opportunities to rebuild the relationship with India.”

 

He was speaking about the issue of US tariffs on Canada. "And there are opportunities to rebuild the relationship with India. There needs to be a shared sense of values around that commercial relationship. If I'm prime minister, I look forward to the opportunity to build that," he said.

 

Carney secured 85.9 per cent of votes in the Liberal Party leadership race, replacing Trudeau as the party’s top leader.  

The ties between India-Canada hit a roadblock after outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in September 2023, said that there were credible allegations of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.

 

India, which has for long criticised pro-Khalistan activities on Canadian soil, denied the charges, with the Ministry of External Affairs saying that Ottawa presented no evidence in support of the allegations. Subsequently, both countries expelled each other's diplomats. 

     

[With inputs from agencies]