Toronto: As relations between New Delhi and Ottawa gradually improve, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the two countries share “strong” and “vibrant” ties.
That sentiment was conveyed in a message to the India-Canada Association of Montreal (ICAM’s) celebration on Saturday of India’s Independence Day.
In a statement, that was delivered by Federal Minister of Health Marjorie Michel, Carney said, “Canada and India have a strong, longstanding and vibrant relationship built on our shared traditions of democracy and pluralism. Our close bond is strengthened by a community of more than 1.4 million Indo-Canadians who make important contributions to our country in all fields of endeavour.”
Carney also conveyed his “warmest greetings to everyone commemorating the 79th anniversary of India’s independence”.
“This event offers a chance to reflect upon the events that have shaped India’s history and to celebrate its many accomplishments since achieving independence on August 15, 1947,” the Canadian PM’s statement added.
The function, presided over by veteran Indo-Canadian community leader and philanthropist CB Singh, also featured India’s Acting High Commissioner in Ottawa Chinmoy Naik.
Michel’s presence at the event and the message from Carney were among the latest indicators of the gradual thawing of the relationship which had cratered on September 18, 2023, when Carney predecessor as PM Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar three months earlier in Surrey, British Columbia.
Matters worsened in October last year when India withdrew six diplomats and officials from Canada after Ottawa asked New Delhi to waive their immunity so they could be questioned in connection with an investigation into violent criminal activity in the country. In retaliation, India expelled six Canadian diplomats.
Carney entered politics this year after Trudeau’s resignation and signalled he was amenable to repairing ties. He invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis on June 18, and held a bilateral on the margins of the global event. Among the outcomes was an announcement that both countries would restore High Commissioners to each other’s capitals and the envoys were named last week.
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand has said the ties will move ahead on a step-by-step basis.
While Canadian officials, including Ministers had shunned Independence Day events last year, they have returned this year. Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson participated in a ceremony at the Vedic Cultural Centre in the Greater Town Area township of Markham as the guest of honour on August 15. He hoisted the Indian flag and later posted on X, “Happy India Independence Day!” The post was shared by Anand.
