Indian PM Narendra Modi arrived in the Canadian city of Calgary on the second leg of his three-nation tour on Tuesday.
The trip to Canada assumes significance since Modi will attend the G7 Summit that is taking place at the nearby Kananaskis village in Alberta.
Modi is visiting Canada at the invitation of the country’s newly elected Prime Minister Mark Carney.
This is Modi’s sixth consecutive participation in the G-7 Summit.
This is the first time Modi has visited the country since 2015.
“At the Summit, Prime Minister will exchange views with leaders of G-7 countries, other invited outreach countries and Heads of International Organisations on crucial global issues, including energy security, technology and innovation, particularly the AI-energy nexus and Quantum-related issues,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Prime Minister Modi will also hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit.
Speaking on his visit to Canada and G7 Summit, Modi said in his pre-departure speech: “The Summit will provide space for exchange of views on pressing global issues and the priorities of the Global South. I also look forward to engaging with leaders from partner countries.”
Mending India-Canada ties
Relationship between India and Canada touched new low points during the tenure of former PM Justin Trudeau following the death of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A diplomatic row between the two countries began after Trudeau alleged India’s role in the killing of the separatist leader.
In June 2023, Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen, was gunned down close to the Vancouver gurdwara.
Trudeau continuously alleged ‘agents’ of the Indian government were behind Nijjar’s killing.
The Indian government continuously rejected all allegations levelled against it.
India and Canada expelled and recalled senior diplomats with ties reaching their lowest points at the end of Trudeau’s tenure.
In January 2025, a Canadian commission, probing into alleged foreign interference in its electoral processes and democratic institutions, in its report stated that “no definitive link” with a “foreign state” in connection with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was “proven”.
The report vindicated the Indian government’s position.
Canadian politics soon witnessed a massive change with Mark Carney taking charge of the Liberal Party and becoming the Prime Minister after Trudeau stepped down from the post, ending his 10-year rule.
