India's new top envoy in Canada starts term as signs emerge of a thaw in relations

“It’s going to take time to rebuild mutual trust. It’s going to take time to find a way to work through the difficult national security concerns.”

India’s new High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik was one of six new envoys at Rideau Hall on Wednesday, where they presented their credentials to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.

At the ceremony, Simon noted that while diplomacy has changed since she was ambassador to Denmark in the early 2000s, the fundamentals remain the same.

“It’s still about building bridges between nations or, when necessary, repairing them through dialogue,” she said.

Relations between Canada and India have been strained since then-prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that Canada had “credible” evidence New Delhi played a role in the June 2023 assassination of a Sikh activist near Vancouver.

In October 2024, the relationship fractured further when the RCMP said it had strong evidence linking a campaign of violence and intimidation against Canadians to the “highest levels” of the Indian government, targeting Sikhs who advocate for a new country called Khalistan to be carved out of India. 

Following that revelation, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, and India responded by expelling the same number of Canadians.

India has meanwhile claimed that Canada is allowing Sikh extremists to threaten and commit violence in both countries, saying Ottawa hasn’t done enough to stop a repeat of the 1984 Air India bombing. 

The chill began to lift slightly in June when Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta and both countries agreed to restore their top diplomats.

Global Affairs Canada deputy minister David Morrison, the top bureaucrat in the foreign service, was in New Delhi earlier this month for what India called a pre-foreign office consultation with senior officials.

“It means there is a mechanism established between the foreign ministries, which hasn’t been active since the political crisis,” Nadjibulla said.

“This is a preparatory meeting before they fully reactivate that dialogue mechanism.”

These pre-consultations have often preceded visits by senior Indian foreign service officers.

India’s foreign ministry hinted that it could restore Canada’s full complement of diplomatic staff in the country, something which has been a major priority for Canada.

In October 2023, New Delhi stripped diplomatic protections from two-thirds of Canadian envoys in the country, causing 41 of them to leave. Some officials, including Ottawa’s consul general in Mumbai, have since seen their protections restored.

A summary of Morrison’s visit issued last Friday by India’s foreign ministry said both countries have “decided to constructively address capacity-related issues at their respective missions and consulates.”

It said Carney and Modi are committed to restoring “stability in the relationship” and pursuing “a constructive and balanced partnership.”

To that end, it said, both countries will “reactivate” discussions on “trade, defence, energy, civil nuclear, security and law enforcement, critical minerals, space, science and technology, and agriculture.”

Carney’s national security adviser Nathalie Drouin met with her Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Sept. 18.

It was the first publicly acknowledged meeting as part of the law-enforcement exchanges both countries agreed to, in an effort to have structured talks around security concerns, instead of having inflammatory comments dominating the bilateral relationship.

In a statement issued last Friday, Drouin said both officials “committed to non-interference, including refraining from transnational repression.”

Both countries agreed to the “reciprocal exchange of information and mutual responsiveness,” Drouin wrote.

“We are advancing a relationship based on mutual respect, the rule of law, and a commitment to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Nadjibulla said Drouin’s statement used “very calibrated” language about transnational repression and foreign interference in order to put relations “on a proper footing.” She noted the head of the RCMP and CSIS were both part of Drouin’s talks in New Delhi, which suggests there are serious discussions underway.

India’s statement following the Drouin meeting did not mention transnational repression. It said the security talks touched on “counterterrorism, combating transnational organized crime and intelligence exchanges.”

It said both countries see “clear momentum for rebuilding trust and expanding co-operation at the highest levels,” and that Drouin and Doval “deliberated on the priority areas for future co-operation.”

Nadjibulla said there is a “constructive tone” in both statements and analysts are watching to see whether Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand meets with her Indian counterpart this week while the two are at the United Nations.

She said she’s also watching out for signs of revived negotiations on a bilateral trade agreement that started in 2010, and to see if any Canadian ministers head to India this fall.

Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, in an interview Wednesday, said Canada and India are “still in the early stages to find out where the opportunities are, where we need to work through problems.”

“I’m feeling optimistic that we’ll be able to find some economic opportunities within those conversations.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2025.