BSS
  27 Feb 2026, 16:50

Canadian PM Carney begins key India visit

MUMBAI, India, Feb 27, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney 
landed in India on Friday where he hopes to reset ties and double trade, 
offsetting the damage from his country's fracturing relations with the United 
States.

Carney's visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 
2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi of orchestrating a deadly campaign 
against Sikh activists on Canadian territory.

He arrived in the financial hub of Mumbai, Indian broadcasters reported, 
where he is expected to address business leaders before travelling to the 
capital New Delhi and meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 
the final day of his visit.

Carney's office said discussions will focus on "ambitious new partnerships in 
trade, energy, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), talent and 
culture, and defence".

Before Carney took office last year, Ottawa accused Modi's government of 
direct involvement in the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a naturalised 
Canadian citizen who was part of a fringe group that advocated for an 
independent Sikh state called Khalistan.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau's government further alleged India had 
directed a campaign of intimidation against Sikh activists across Canada.

India has repeatedly dismissed the allegations, which sent diplomatic 
relations into freefall, with both nations expelling a string of top 
diplomats in 2024.

Ties improved after Carney took office in March 2025, and envoys have since 
been restored.

After India, Carney will travel on to Australia and Japan, part of a broad 
effort to pivot the Canadian economy away from excessive reliance on its 
southern neighbour.