New Era for IndiaCanada Relations

October 17, 2026

Indian youth have been migrating to Canada for years in search of a better future. Indians, especially Punjabis, have already settled there, so much so that Vancouver has come to be known as “Mini Punjab.” Our Indians also have a deep presence in politics there. Dialogue between Canada and India gained momentum when Mark Carney became Prime Minister of Canada following a change of power in Canada. Recently, on October 13th, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian PM Carney had a phone conversation. Relations are becoming cordial. Indians in Canada are so dedicated to their hard work that many of Canada’s economic difficulties are being resolved through their own strength. The nature of relations between the two countries is changing. During Justin Trudeau’s tenure, the High Commissioners of both countries were expelled from the country, but now images of the heads of state embracing each other are visible. On Wednesday, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by PM Modi, decided to sell a majority stake in IDBI Bank to the Canadian company Sharefax. This decision is very significant. This bank was established with the noble purpose of ensuring that rural industries and other small businesses do not face financial constraints. Now, with the banking turmoil, the bank appears to be faltering, so Canada decided to purchase its majority stake. Currently, progress in relations with Canada is such that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney may be our chief guest during the upcoming Republic Day celebrations. Our Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand are also holding talks and reaching meaningful agreements. Both sides have reiterated their commitment to conclude the negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement soon. The target of doubling the mutual trade between the two countries by 2030 has also been declared. This is a completely changed picture compared to the earlier bitter relations. Modi is also going to Canada in the month of December. It has been decided to maintain close relations during his visit to Canada. The seriousness of bringing the relations closer can also be seen from the fact that talks are also taking place between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Mark Carney’s advisor David Marson in which an agreement has been reached to give a new strength to the security relations between the two countries. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand came to India on Tuesday. His discussions with Foreign Minister Jaishankar have been ongoing since September 2025, the most recent being the 11th. It can be said that both countries want to elevate their relationship to a high-level dialogue. Jaishankar also stated that they reviewed progress in trade, investment, education, defense, energy, and people-to-people relations. New goals are being set. Regional and global issues are being discussed. The government is also advancing strategic partnerships, while continuing to collaborate at the industry level. A 300-member delegation, led by Canada’s International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, has recently arrived in India. This is being called the Team Canada trade mission. Remember, in the last thirty years, such a large Canadian trade force has never visited India. This could be due to political exigencies.