"India-Canada relations are now getting back on track": Defence Expert Sanjeev Srivastava hails PM Modi's visit
Srivastava said that by reinstating their respective High Commissioners, both India and Canada have taken constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship.
'In a positive development, India and Canada have decided to reinstate their High Commissioners. Tensions between the two countries had significantly escalated after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made baseless allegations against India regarding the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The previous Trudeau government had also failed to take action against Khalistani terrorists, which had caused deep resentment in India,' the Defence expert told ANI.
'However, now that a new Prime Minister has been elected in Canada, India was invited to the G7 summit, and the discussions between the two Prime Ministers were positive. PM Modi was welcomed with great applause in Canada. This is a constructive turn of events, and India-Canada relations are now getting back on track,' Sanjeev Srivastava said.
PM Modi visited Canada to attend the 51st G7 Summit at the invitation of his counterpart, Mark Carney.
Earlier, PM Modi met Canadian PM Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. Notably, this was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Canada's recent general elections.
During the meeting, the leaders reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties and agreed to take constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship, with the early return of High Commissioners to each other's capitals, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said in a statement on Wednesday.
As per the MEA, the meeting between PM Modi and PM Carney provided an opportunity for both sides to hold frank and forward-looking discussions on the state of India-Canada relations and the way ahead.
The leaders reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties, based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law and commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. They underlined the need to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership grounded in mutual respect for concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities.
In a significant development, it was announced by the MEA in its statement that India and Canada 'agreed to take calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship, beginning with the early return of High Commissioners to each other's capitals.' (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
21 minutes ago
- CBC
The Eastern Energy Partnership: Atlantic Canada's big pitch for Carney's nation-building list
Social Sharing On a gravel road by the side of the Trans-Canada Highway, New Brunswick's natural resources minister, John Herron, gazes down a long clearing cut through the forest. He sees poetry — national poetry, that is. Herron hopes one of New Brunswick's proposed "projects of national interest" will connect to an existing natural gas pipeline running under that clearing. "This is a nation-building project that checks every box," Herron says. The plan is to extend a gas line that now ends in Quebec City into New Brunswick to link with the Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline beneath the minister's feet. The line carries Alberta gas routed through the United States, or gas extracted in the U.S., into Atlantic Canada. But the Quebec extension would bypass American territory completely, creating an all-Canada route. "The poetry kind of goes like this: You have Western Canada gas going into Ontario, through the province of Quebec, [by] adding additional pipe from Quebec City into Atlantic Canada," the minister says. "That additional pipe, aspirationally speaking, would be made of Ontario steel.… This is a made-in-Canada solution. This is energy sovereignty." The proposal is on New Brunswick's list of projects submitted to Mark Carney's government for expedited regulatory approval under Bill C-5, which was adopted into law in June. Carney underscored his own build-Canada agenda again on Friday, after the deadline passed for a trade agreement with the U.S. and U.S. President Donald Trump raised tariffs on many Canadian exports. "Canadians will be our own best customer," Carney said in a statement. The Eastern Energy Partnership The prime minister's call for proposals has stirred interest from provincial governments across the country, not least in Atlantic Canada, where premiers see a new opportunity to boost their economies and meet a growing demand for electricity. Many of their proposals fall under the label of the Eastern Energy Partnership, which envisions the four Atlantic provinces generating more electricity and transmitting it to each other, to Quebec and to other buyers. They range from upgrading the subsea cable between Prince Edward Island and the New Brunswick mainland — likely one of the quicker, simpler projects — to a Nova Scotia proposal to build enough offshore wind turbines to generate a quarter of Canada's electricity needs. Winning the "project of national interest" designation gets proponents a faster regulatory review process but doesn't guarantee federal funding. It's also not a sure thing that Ottawa will approve the Eastern Energy Partnership projects as a whole. "I don't want the perfect to be the enemy of the good," says Nova Scotia Liberal MP Sean Fraser, the minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. "I think we have an opportunity — and in fact an obligation — to move as quickly as possible on the components of the partnership that are ready," he says. Many of the projects face obstacles. Bill C-5 has provoked a skeptical reaction from some First Nations leaders concerned that accelerated reviews will compromise their right to be consulted. In New Brunswick, however, some chiefs are open to making deals. Pabineau First Nation Chief Terry Richardson supports the New Brunswick government's proposals, which include an expansion of nuclear power generation in the province. "I'm OK with it, because we need a solution. We need a baseline source of energy and right now we don't have any," says Richardson. "I mean, renewables are great, but what do you do when the wind don't blow, the sun don't shine, and the water don't flow?" Assembly of First Nations regional chief Joanna Bernard says many bands are keeping an open mind but will insist on equity stakes in projects. "Back in the day, it was 'Here's some scholarships,' or 'Here's capacity building so maybe your people can work on the pipeline.' Those days are gone," Bernard said. "We're going to own part of the company. We're going to be there on the ground, making sure environmental issues are of the highest priority. And the profits will go to the First Nations." Wind and nuclear power Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston's Wind West plan to develop thousands of offshore turbines and export the electricity to other provinces could be a boon for national efforts to decarbonize its power sources, if it came to fruition at that scale. Scott Urquhart, the Cape Breton-born CEO of a Copenhagen-based wind energy company, says the project is doable, with the wind off Nova Scotia being "pretty much best in the world." WATCH | How challenging is Nova Scotia's offshore wind project? What it will take to get Nova Scotia's offshore wind project off the ground 2 months ago Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has plans to license enough offshore wind farms to produce 40 gigawatts of electricity — which could supply 27 per cent of Canada's total electricity demand. But what will it take to get there? The CBC's Tom Murphy spoke with Thomas Arnason McNeil of the Ecology Action Centre. But it may take a decade or more to get turbines turning, and at a considerably higher cost than the $5 to 10 billion the premier is forecasting, according to Halifax energy consultant Heidi Leslie. "The estimate is really low," she says. Wind power prices in a recent U.S. bidding process were far higher than what Ontario customers are now charged on their residential power bills, Leslie says. At that rate, "you're losing money on every kilowatt" from Wind West, she says. "And the further away it is from the place that's using it, the more expensive it is, because you need to build the transmission to get it there." New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are doubling their transmission links, but "that will certainly not be enough to handle what is required," says Larry Hughes, an energy expert at Dalhousie University in Halifax. New Brunswick's ambition to expand nuclear generation is also provoking questions. The province's existing nuclear power plant, Point Lepreau, has been plagued with costly problems since it began operating in 1983. It is responsible for a large part of the provincial power utility's $5-billion debt. More nuclear power — whether that is a second large reactor at Point Lepreau or small modular reactors — will only add to the financial burden, says David Coon, leader of New Brunswick's Green Party. "It's insane," Coon says. "We all get nuclear power bills of a size that no one is happy with because of the extremely expensive cost of owning a nuclear power plant." Affordability top of mind New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says she gets it. Holt won a big majority last year after campaigning on affordability issues, and she's already faced blowback from residents about their power bills. She hopes neighbouring provinces will share the expense of more nuclear generation in exchange for some of the electricity that will be produced. "When I'm trying to deliver affordability for New Brunswickers, I'm looking at who's shouldering the burden with us," she says. "How do we reduce the cost to New Brunswick ratepayers while still pursuing our objectives of clean power and reliable power?" In addition to nuclear power, New Brunswick's electricity is generated by a combination of fossil fuels, hydro, and to a lesser extent, wind and biomass. Without its emissions-free nuclear reactor, the province would need to burn four times as much coal, making it even harder to lower emissions, says Brad Coady, its vice-president of business development. Meanwhile, the province's largest hydro dam, Mactaquac, needs a major upgrade that could cost up to $9 billion. Lori Clark, the CEO of N.B. Power, says there's an onus on the federal government to help defray the costs of decarbonizing the power supply, rather than passing costs on to customers. "I do really believe that the federal government has a role to play in this as well. They've set the deadlines for net zero," Clark says. Herron is also looking for federal support, invoking the possibility of a government ownership stake in the natural gas line extension. "I think there's an opportunity to de-risk the project if the project is initially state-owned and First Nation-owned," he says. That would speed up permitting "and it de-risks that investment for the private sector at a future date." Fraser would not commit to that — but he didn't close the door either, citing the precedent of the federal government's 2018 takeover of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project in British Columbia. "More often, the right outcome will be that we create the environment that will incentivize investment, that will allow private companies to set up to succeed and to employ people in the region," he adds. "But we don't want to write off the possibility that certain kinds of investments may be required for particular projects to make them viable if we believe the long-term interests of Canadians will be served."
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Recognizing a state, and making a point
Opinion Canada will recognize a state that does not exist. A state that may never exist. A state that has yet to meet the internationally accepted attributes of statehood: a permanent population, a defined territory, an effective government, and exercised sovereignty. This is Palestine. Palestine is not yet a reality, but Canada is recognizing another reality. The reality of war, hunger, hardship, and politics. Almost two years after the horrific Hamas massacre of Israelis and others on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel is locked into a grinding war of lethal attrition against Hamas in Gaza. No immediate ceasefire prospects and no clear end game by any of the protagonists except the destruction of the other exists. ABDEL KAREEM HANA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES A Palestinian boy carrying a plastic jerry can of water walks past buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City on July 25. The most volatile neighbourhood in the world has seen more than 50 wars, insurgencies, coups, and rebellions of one sort or another since the end of the Second World War. The pattern is violently familiar and, therefore, depressingly inuring to most of us. Many expected Gaza to follow this same pattern. Israel's right to exist in peace and the monstrous scale of the Hamas terrorism gave it the legal and moral agency to strike back, hard. Retaliation by Israel would be harsh but somehow acceptable. Few shed any tears when key Hamas leaders were hunted down and eliminated. The tears came afterwards. The relentlessly dangerous and difficult task of eradicating a deeply embedded terrorist network in dense urban areas has meant more civilian casualties and visible suffering than much of the international community could stomach. With no end in sight. This is what prompted Prime Minister Mark Carney's momentous decision to recognize the State of Palestine during the next United Nations General Assembly this fall. 'The deepening suffering of civilians leaves no room for delay in co-ordinated international action to support peace, security, and the dignity of all human life', he said in a formal statement this week. There is something else, though. Canada has concluded that the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu will never accept a two-state solution of a fully sovereign Palestine living side by side with Israel. This has been the bedrock foreign policy principle of Canada — and many other countries — for peace in the Middle East. Unwilling to dismiss this principled approach, the Canadian prime minister has decided to dismiss the Israeli prime minster's approach to the principle. 'Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable', Carney said. 'Prospects for a two-state solution have been steadily and gravely eroded' he went on, listing four reasons, three of which identify Israeli actions, making clear where most of the blame resides. With zero influence over how Israel is prosecuting the war, Canada is joining other countries to influence what happens after the war. In that sense, Canada is remaining consistent with the United States. Not the U.S. of President Donald Trump but the U.S. of former president Joe Biden. One month into the war, in November 2023, the U.S. set out a 'day after the war' declaration for Gaza and Israel. Meant to prevent a wider conflict from erupting, that declaration stated: 'The United States believes key elements should include no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. Not now. Not after the war. No use of Gaza as a platform for terrorism or other violent attacks. No reoccupation of Gaza after the conflict ends. No attempt to blockade or besiege Gaza. No reduction in the territory of Gaza.' Weekday Evenings Today's must-read stories and a roundup of the day's headlines, delivered every evening. This may yet come to pass, but it appears very far off right now. Politicians though live in the here and now. They see hunger lines in Gaza and become distressed. They read motions to annex the West Bank from the Israeli Knesset or statements by the Israeli prime minister to never agree to a fully fledged Palestinian state and become disturbed. They see no end in sight and are frustrated. All this is leaving Israel more politically isolated today than it was before Oct. 7. But it is also more militarily powerful, capable, and dominant in the region than ever before. And it has a fast friend in Donald Trump creating a superpower 'alliance of two' giving it more licence to act as it sees fit in Gaza and the region. It is doing so, and countries have taken notice. Short of declaring war, recognizing a governing entity, no matter how tenuous, as a sovereign state is as declaratory you can get in international relations. Canada, like France and Great Britain, is utilizing the entirely precedented and legal discretion it has under international law to unilaterally recognize another state. But doing so now, absent a negotiated peace settlement to create such a state, is not so much a diplomatic gesture of support for Palestinians, but a diplomatic rejection of Israel's actions in Gaza and the West Bank. For Canada, the momentous part is not breaking with international law by declaring its recognition of Palestine as a state but breaking with its own international tradition of allying with the U.S. on key international issues. Indeed, this decision signals a widening chasm with America. Trump wants 'to break us, so that America can own us', said Carney on election night. What he didn't say is that maybe Canada has to break with America first. David McLaughlin is a former clerk of the executive council and cabinet secretary in the Manitoba government.
Toronto Sun
2 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Letters to the Editor, Aug. 2, 2025
Saturday letters Photo by Illustration / Toronto Sun CANADIAN STEEL This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Prime Minister Mark Carney announced stiff tariffs on foreign steel coming to Canada. This is to bolster the use of Canadian-made steel for manufacturing and infrastructure projects. He didn't mention anything about cancelling the ferry boat contracts to China and having them built here with Canadian steel and Canadian steel workers and other skilled trades. Lorne Strachan Concord (There are many things Carney is failing to do) LIGHTS OUT It is time to remind out fearless leaders that 'elbows up' does not mean skating around centre ice with your elbows up pretending to be tough. It does mean going after the puck in the corner with your opponent, smacking him in the chops with your elbow, and leaving with the puck and him dazed and confused. Turn off the electricity for one weekend and show the world how Canadians deal with a bully. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Robin Vinden Etobicoke (Truly that will accomplish little) REMOVE OUR OWN BARRIERS (Canada needs to put on their big boy pants and remove provincial tariffs and trade barriers immediately before complaining about foreign tariffs. We need to fast track all necessary permits and regulations to get our natural resources out of the ground and on their way to new buyers as fast as we can or we are coming in last in this race. Common sense not politics will save us, speed not dragging everything out with endless studies and talk will save us, responsible spending not shovelling hard-earned taxpayers' money out the back door will save us. (We haven't even got a budget yet.) If we want to keep this country together, prosperous and free, we can't throw around patriotic hockey quips like 'elbows up' to get votes. We need to do what needs to be done with the least amount of politics involved as possible and that means now. Wayne Martin Kitchener (There are so many barriers we put up as a country between provinces it's little wonder we cannot make a deal nationally) Toronto Blue Jays Canada World Canada MLB
