BANFF — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears ready to bury the hatchet with Canada, following nearly two years of frozen relations sparked during Justin Trudeau’s leadership.“It’s a great honour to host you at the G7,” Prime Minister Mark Carney told Modi at a press conference Tuesday afternoon, underscoring the “importance of (Modi’s) country and leadership,” especially when it comes to issues the two nations “tackle together,” such as energy security, AI and transnational repression.The thaw comes after a brief but symbolic meeting between Modi and Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis. The encounter marks the first high-level contact between the two countries since a deep diplomatic rupture in 2023..Trudeau claims RCMP made accusations to protect Canadians from India, admits he has 'no proof'.At the time, Trudeau publicly claimed there were “credible allegations” that Indian government agents were involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh separatist gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey, BC. India strongly denied the accusations, calling them baseless and politically motivated.As the Western Standard reported at the time, the fallout was swift. Both countries expelled senior diplomats, visa services were suspended, and trade talks collapsed. Canada withdrew dozens of diplomatic staff from India after New Delhi threatened to revoke their immunity.Since replacing Trudeau in March, Carney has taken deliberate steps to mend the fractured relationship, including his decision to invite Modi to the G7 Summit..WATCH: RCMP concedes ‘no imminent threat’ from India despite alarming Thanksgiving announcement .Modi in response said he is “very happy to get this opportunity to come and visit the soil of Canada.”“I believe that India-Canada relations are extremely important, and India and Canada should work together and achieve win-win cooperation in several areas,” said Modi.“Canadian companies have invested in India in a big way. Indian people have also invested in Canada in a big way. We both stand for democratic values together. We can strengthen democratic values.”“We can strengthen humanity if we work together, optimally utilize all our resources, we can work for the welfare of our entire humanity.”“And I am extremely confident that we'll be able to do this task.”Modi congratulated Carney on winning the spring election on April 28, and said he is “sure under your leadership, we will be able to work together in a positive way and take India and Canada's relationship forward.”
