Commonwealth_ Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has personally invited his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to the upcoming G7 summit in Alberta in June. The move comes after the marked shift in the highly polarized relationship between Canada and India, which severely deteriorated following the 2023 assassination of a Sikh separatist chief on Canadian soil.
The two leaders, according to a statement released by Carney’s office, spoke on the phone on Friday when Carney extended an official invitation to Modi to attend the G7 summit on June 15–17 in Kananaskis, Alberta. The readout also stated that both leaders reaffirmed their desire to maintain open channels of communication and to continue discussions on law enforcement matters related to security.
Modi had accepted the invitation in an X (ex-Twitter) post, extending gratitude to Carney and stating he was looking forward to meeting him at the summit. India is not a member of G7 but was invited for attendance in previous summits as a guest country, particularly when the matters were of a globalistic context for the world.
Later in the months, four Indians were detained by the Canadian police in connection with Nijjar’s murder. Then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leveled a sensational claim that officials of the Indian government had ordered the assassination, which agitated the diplomatic crisis further. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) later stated that it had reliable evidence on India’s role in organized groups of violence and extortion in Canada.
India vehemently rejected the charges as “absurd” and “unfounded.” Diplomatic fallout saw the mutual expulsions of senior envoys and other officials, further skewing bilateral ties. Carney, who replaced Trudeau as prime minister, has followed a more pragmatic line. Addressing journalists on Friday, he justified inviting Modi in the face of continuing controversy and ongoing legal action. He emphasized the benefit of India, a significant global player, being present at the negotiating table to discuss pressing international matters.
“Although India is not a member of the G7, some discussions are incomplete without them,” Carney said. “The summit this week will address defining global questions, and India’s attendance guarantees that varied opinions are heard.”
Carney’s stance on Modi has drawn criticism from certain elements within Canada’s large Sikh community, which is largely divided by the Khalistan movement, which is rejected by most Sikhs in India. The World Sikh Organization denounced the move as a “betrayal of Sikh Canadians,” and the Sikh Federation of Canada has called it a “grave insult,” invoking ongoing trauma in the community and ongoing lack of closure surrounding Nijjar’s case.
Carney declined to state whether or not he believes Modi played a direct role in the murder of Nijjar, stating that it would be unseemly to comment on a matter still under active legal investigation.
With the G7 meeting nearing, Carney’s act of sitting down with Modi is tantamount to a cautious diplomatic risk to reposition Canada-India ties while balancing audience sensitivities internally and externally. Whether this is the beginning of a broader rapprochement remains to be seen later, but the summit will serve as a high-profile stage for potential breakthroughs.
