Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand is scheduled to visit India next week, marking her first official trip to the country. The visit comes amid ongoing efforts to reset bilateral ties between India and Canada.
External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar met his Canadian counterpart on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, describing it as a good meeting.
He had welcomed the appointment of high commissioners as a positive step in rebuilding ties. Anita Anand follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney at the G7 Summit in June this year.
She is expected to hold talks with EAM Jaishankar on Monday (October 13), days after both the foreign ministers held talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. This is the first ever visit by a top Canadian minister to India under the new Mark Carney government.
India-Canada relations, strained since 2023 over allegations of Indian involvement by then Canada PM Trudeau in the killing of Khalistani extremists Hardeep Singh Nijjar (also India listed terrorist), are undergoing a cautious reset following leadership changes in Canada and diplomatic efforts by the 2 sides.
Earlier this year, PM Modi and Canada’s new PM Mark Carney held talks on the sidelines of the G7 summit in June. Both sides decided to take “calibrated steps” to normalise ties since then.
In August the countries simultaneously announced reinstating of high commissioners, with Indian High commissioner Dinesh Patnaik taking charge in Ottawa, and Canada’s new high commissioner, Christopher Cooter taking charge in Delhi.
Last month, Canada’s deputy foreign ministerDavid Morrison and NSA Nathalie G. Drouin visited Delhi and had talks with counterparts.
Both sides have agreed to “reactivate” key dialogues, suspended during former Canadian PM Trudeau’s tenure and reinstate diplomatic staff.
India’s big worry is the concerns over Khalistani elements in Canada, which Delhi sees a threat to its security. Increasingly, the new government in Canada is recognising the concerns over Khalistani elements.
A Canadian Finance Ministry’s 2025 “Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks”, highlighted the challenge of Khalistani extremism and its implications for both domestic and international security.
Canadian Security Intelligence Service or CSIS has also warned over Khalistani extremists being a “national security threat” in a report presented to the Parliament.