Canada Sends First Diplomat To India Since 2023 Row, Signals Diplomatic Reset Post G7 Talks
In a step toward restoring diplomatic normalcy, Canada has appointed its first diplomat to India since bilateral ties deteriorated in 2023 amid a major diplomatic fallout. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Wednesday announced the appointment of Jeff David as the new Consul General in Mumbai, replacing Diedrah Kelly.
This marks the first diplomatic posting by Canada to India since October 2023, when Ottawa withdrew 41 diplomats, following India's insistence on maintaining parity in diplomatic presence. The pullout came in the wake of a sharp dispute over alleged Indian involvement in activities related to Khalistani separatists on Canadian soil.
The scaled-down diplomatic footprint had disrupted key consular services, including visa processing and academic collaboration. David's appointment is seen as an early signal of betterment in relations between the two countries, which have recently shown signs of engagement, following high-level discussions on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.
India and Canada have begun resetting their strained diplomatic ties following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit held in Kananaskis, Alberta, in mid-June. The two leaders agreed to take concrete steps toward restoring full diplomatic engagement, including the reappointment of high commissioners, resumption of suspended free trade talks, and the restoration of normal embassy operations.
The breakthrough marks the first major thaw after a nearly two-year standoff, which began in September 2023 when the Trudeau-led government accused Indian diplomats of supporting violence linked to Khalistani separatists on Canadian soil. The diplomatic fallout led to both countries expelling senior officials and freezing key negotiations.
According to sources cited by The Times of India, both governments have already exchanged names for new high commissioner appointments, with formal announcements expected soon. India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) described the development as part of its 'calibrated" diplomacy, emphasising that while ties are being repaired, core concerns, particularly those related to separatist extremism, remain firmly on the table.
In a statement following the G7 meeting, the MEA said that Modi and Carney had agreed to revive senior ministerial and working-level dialogues across multiple sectors, along with restarting discussions on a long-pending Canada-India free trade pact that was halted just before the diplomatic fallout in 2023.
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
6 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: India must not bend the knee before Trump's tariffs
Hello, and welcome to the Best of BS Opinion, our distilled wrap of today's Opinion page. Our lead columnist Shyam Saran makes a forceful case for standing up to the United States' geopolitical arm-twisting using tariffs as leverage. Not resisting now will lead to bigger demands in the future, he warns, and could had long-term consequences for India's national security, credibility, and influence. There will certainly be a price to pay, and India should be prepared, not by closing off its economy but by making it more outward-looking. As it is, the US' tariffs will only have a modest impact on India's GDP, a price the country should be willing to pay. In fact, he says, India should follow its Look East policy more vigorously because that region wants India to be a counterweight to China. It should also become part of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership, where currently neither China nor the US is present. Insulating the nation from the vagaries of Trump's policies may be best served by this initiative, he says. It is not easy steering Indian democracy in live action: witness the often-raucuous scenes that play out on our screens when Parliament is in session. Yet, it is a role that Harivansh Narayan Singh has in the past played to near-perfection, writes Aditi Phadnis. As deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha, he was unerringly fair, always putting principle over party. It also helped that he was unfailingly polite. A former journalist who is credited with the turnaround of Bihar Prabhat, his politics hewed close to former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, who was a major political influence in his life. With the Vice President's position falling empty with Jagdeep Dhankhar's abrupt resignation, political circles are abuzz with names of likely candidates for the second-highest position in the republic. It is no surprise that Singh's name is among them - a win would redefine his political career. India, and the rest of the world, is trying to figure Donald Trump out so as to survive him until the midterm elections in the US two years from now. Before that, India must look find ways to protect itself from his monumental irrationality. But first, we must also look within at the bipolarity within the Indian 'establishment' - which encompasses government and its multi-faceted support base, including social media and TV studio experts, write Shekhar Gupta. From being euphoric about our closeness to the US and India finally gaining its rightful place at the world table, the Indian establishment is now reverting to Cold War-level suspicion of Uncle Sam and playing hurt victim. The other element of bipolarity exists within the establishment itself, he points out: even as the Prime Minister and others are acting quietly and prudently, working the levers behind the stage, the support base is the exact opposite, in a constant state of anger and hurt. There is something about nostalgia that makes us want to revisit the past, no matter how long ago. We all go back at least once to our school or college or hostel, just to soak in our memories one more time. The recent box-office success of Indian movies upon a re-release seems to prove that point. Sandeep Goyal pulls on that thread and wonders if a rerun of brand campaigns that have had a successful first innings would work the second time around. Recalling some of India's most iconic ad campaigns - Gold Spot's 'The Zing Thing', Parle's 'Melody itni chocolatey kaise bani', and Tata Sky's 'Isko laga daala to life jhinga-la-la, to name just a few - he bats for a second coming of such memorable ads. There are caveats, though: Tinkering with the original might backfire spectacularly, as Cadbury's gender-reversed re-run of Dairy Milk showed. Chintan Girish Modi, pens a heartfelt ode - ironically, in prose - to the legendary Eunice de Souza, poet extraordinaire and teacher at the equally famous St Xavier's College in Mumbai. August 1, when this column was written, is also de Souza's birthday and is commemorated by the college as Poetry Day, a rare incidence of anyone celebrating either a poet or a teacher, or as in this case, both. Modi recites parts of her poems, and is struck by her distinctive voice, and even more by her freedom with - and within - the language, unencumbered by the need for obscure allusions and pretentious references.
Economic Times
6 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Proposed Canada-US trade deal could still be weeks away, says Ottawa
Synopsis Ottawa's chief negotiator suggests a U.S.-Canada trade deal remains weeks away, despite Trump's imposition of higher tariffs on Canadian goods. Prime Minister Carney insists on resetting bilateral relations, but negotiations have yielded little progress, with crucial sectors like steel and automobiles affected. Canada seeks a beneficial deal, while the U.S. cites concerns over fentanyl smuggling and trade barriers. ANI Carney with Trump A proposed U.S.-Canada trade deal could still be weeks away, Ottawa's chief negotiator said on Friday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed higher tariffs on imports from Canada. Trump - who had set an August 1 deadline for an agreement - signed an executive order increasing tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% from 25% on all products not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Prime Minister Mark Carney insisted on the talks to reset bilateral relations, saying Trump's tariffs have upended decades-old trading and security ties. The negotiations, though, have so far produced little. Although over 90% of Canadian exports enter the United States without duties, the tariffs apply to crucial sectors such as steel, aluminum and automobiles. Federal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc, in charge of U.S. trade relations, said Canada had always made clear it would only accept a good deal. "At the end of business yesterday that agreement was not yet in sight ... there remain sectors the Americans are targeting which are essential for the Canadian economy," he told public broadcaster Radio-Canada. "Over the coming weeks we will ... continue talks with the Americans in an attempt to find a deal that would put us in a better position." Separately, LeBlanc told reporters in Washington that he would speak to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick next week and hoped to meet him in August. "The doors aren't closed, the doors are open, the conversations are ongoing," he said. The White House cited what it said was Canada's failure to stop fentanyl smuggling and address U.S. concerns about trade barriers. Washington is also unhappy about Canada's refusal to drop its own countermeasures, which were first imposed by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He resigned in March to be replaced by Carney, who won an April election promising to stand up to Trump. In June, Carney had threatened to ramp up counter tariffs in July unless there was progress on the deal. A statement he issued on Friday did not mention retaliation. Brian Clow, who was in charge of U.S. relations inside Trudeau's office for several years, noted Trump had announced deals with nations that declined to impose counter tariffs. "Unfortunately, Canada stands on its own right now, along with China, because many other countries ... refused to stand up to this President," he said by phone. "So I'm not sure that further retaliation is the way to go." Carney's talk about standing up to Trump cannot hide the divisions between those advocating for a hard line and those who worry about the potential economic damage. Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada lobby group, said Canada was struggling at the talks and urged a new approach. "As someone said to me, Canada is playing chess, but there's nobody playing chess with it at the other end," he said. "We've got to make sure that we are thinking through: 'What have we been doing and what do we need to do?'," he told CBC News. "We've got to move with greater urgency, because our own economy is very fragile."
Hindustan Times
6 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Cricketer Rinku Singh removed as SVEEP icon over ‘neutrality concerns'
LUCKNOW The Election Commission of India (ECI) has removed Indian cricketer Rinku Singh from the voter awareness campaign - SVEEP (Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation) - in Uttar Pradesh. Rinku Singh was engaged to Samajwadi Party MP from Machhlishahr Lok Sabha constituency Priya Saroj on June 8. (File Photo) Due to his popularity among youths, Singh was included in the campaign as a youth icon to motivate voters. But on Friday, the UP chief electoral officer (CEO) directed district administration officers across UP to remove all publicity material, including posters, videos and photos from websites, featuring Singh. Singh was engaged to Samajwadi Party MP from Machhlishahr Lok Sabha constituency Priya Saroj on June 8. Top SP leaders including party chief Akhilesh Yadav attended the ceremony organised in Lucknow. 'After the engagement, Singh is associated with a political person. The icon engaged in the voter awareness campaign should remain apolitical and neutral, in both spirit and practice. The decision to remove Singh has been taken to maintain impartiality in the awareness campaign,' said an officer from the CEO office. Though Rinku Singh had not made any political statement or expressed intent to join politics after engagement with Priya Saroj, but ECI rules clearly state that any perceived political connection is sufficient ground for removal of the icon from an official public outreach initiative, the officer said. Political circles were abuzz with reaction over the ECI's decision, with some terming it as a fair decision by the poll panel and others saying that even after engagement with a politician, Singh did not indulge in politics. However, there was no comment from Rinku Singh or Priya Saroj over the ECI's decision. Rinku Singh shot into the limelight following his remarkable performance when he hit five consecutive sixes in an over during an IPL match, which gave a thrilling victory to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against Gujarat Titans in 2023. KKR had retained Singh for ₹13 crore in the recently concluded IPL. Appointment as BSA doubtful? Meanwhile, the cricketer's appointment as basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) in UP also seemed to be in for a problem after reports that the basic education department, UP, had put his file on hold. Even when Rinku's name figured for the post of BSA netizens took to social media questioning his educational qualifications. Authorities from the basic education department neither confirmed nor rubbished the news of cancellation of Rinku's appointment as BSA. Principal secretary (sports) Manish Chauhan said the file was sent to the basic education department and he had no idea what happened thereafter. Director, basic education, Pratap Singh Baghel said he too had no information and pleaded ignorance on developments on over Rinku's appointment. Another official said the state government is committed to the development of facilities for sports and encouragement of sportspersons. In the last eight years, on one hand, sports infrastructure has been developed at the rural level, while on the other hand, medal winning players are being given respectable prize money along with government jobs. UP remains the leading state in the country in terms of giving government jobs to players who have raised the prestige of the country and state through sports at the international level, he said.
