Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, is scheduled to meet her Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, on Monday in New Delhi, as part of efforts to mend bilateral ties after a diplomatic rift during the previous Justin Trudeau-led government. During her two-day visit, Anand is also set to meet India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, to discuss a framework for strategic cooperation on trade diversification, energy transition, and security.

Anand arrived in New Delhi on Sunday, October 12, and was welcomed by Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Jaiswal highlighted on X that the visit is intended to build on positive momentum in India-Canada relations, strengthen bilateral mechanisms, deepen economic collaboration, and reinforce people-to-people ties. Following her engagements in Delhi, Anand will travel to Mumbai on Tuesday to meet with Canadian and Indian businesses promoting investment, job creation, and economic opportunities in both countries.

The Canadian government has said the visit aims to advance bilateral relations and cooperation with countries including India, Singapore, and China under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Anand emphasized that strong, stable partnerships abroad are essential for Canada’s strength at home and that she is working to position Canada as a trusted partner for Indo-Pacific nations and their economies.

The visit also comes at a time when both countries are seeking to repair relations strained under Trudeau’s tenure. In September 2023, Trudeau raised allegations in the Canadian parliament linking the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada to Indian government agents, claims that India rejected as absurd and politically motivated. The allegations had escalated into a diplomatic standoff, with both countries expelling each other’s top diplomats.

Since Trudeau’s departure, ties have improved. His successor, Mark Carney, invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June, appointed new senior diplomats to reopen communication channels, and initiated collaboration with India on cross-border crime intelligence sharing. Last month, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met his Canadian counterpart, Nathalie Drouin, to discuss counter-terrorism, tackling organized crime, intelligence cooperation, and strengthening security engagement mechanisms.

On the trade front, India and Canada resumed talks for an interim trade agreement in June after nearly two years of inactivity. Bilateral trade in goods reached $8.6 billion in the 2024-25 financial year, while total two-way trade in goods and services amounted to $30.9 billion in 2024, making India Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner.