With Trudeau gone, can Canada and India patch up relations?

5 comments

1. I may be among the few people who still remember the massive diplomatic row that Canada had with Saudi Arabia a few years ago over the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi on foreign soil.

   Ultimately, nothing much came of that row and Canada’s economic and defense ties with Saudi Arabia are unchanged. In fact Canada still exports weapons and ammunition to Saudi Arabia, some of which have been used in their decade-long war in Yemen.

   Compared to the Khashoggi case, the alleged assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil by Indian agents will be more difficult to stomach, but with the post-Trump change in priorities and Trudeau’s own ego/reputation no longer in the picture, I can see Mark Carney having an interest in reviving ties with India in the near future. After all, if he’s going to spend the next 4 years in a trade war with the world’s largest economy, he’ll have to cast a wide net to find alternatives. Europe alone won’t do.

   But I expect that genuine attempts at a diplomatic “reset” will have to wait until the general elections in Canada later this year. Carney is only an interim PM right now and he probably won’t risk his re-election over this.

2. I don’t think India should budge on this until the Canadians address the issue of Khalistani terrorists in Canada and send all those who have gone to Canada from India as fugitives back to India to face justice.

3. Well given that Modi is still in power it might be tough.

4. Maybe a bit of a reset but nothing beyond it. Australia made effort because trade is booming and they are in Indo-pacific as well. India and Canada have no skin in the game, even beyond lackluster trade ties there is no geopolitical advantage in it either as Canada doesn’t bring anything to the table and India isn’t really a market beyond commodities for the other side.

5. I hope there isn’t a thaw. Who wants to be chummy with nations harbouring terrorists.

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