Extremism, trade, uranium on Modi’s Canada agenda
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Canada for the G7 Summit, the two countries are looking to reset strained ties, with New Delhi aiming to revive uranium imports, restart trade negotiations and establish a new mechanism to share intelligence on transnational crime, syndicates, terrorism and extremist activities.
The Prime Minister will arrive in Canada by the evening of June 16, marking the second leg of his three-nation tour. He first visited Cyprus and will stop in Croatia before returning home.
Modi is scheduled to meet his Canadian counterpart Mike Carney on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. Their discussions will mainly focus on the new intelligence-sharing arrangement, which will comprise officials at senior levels and work towards curbing misunderstandings.
The relations between the two countries soured in 2024 when New Delhi accused Ottawa of sheltering fugitives and gangsters wanted by Indian law enforcement agencies. In response, Canada accused India of carrying out extrajudicial killings, including that of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in July 2023, an allegation dismissed by New Delhi as “absurd”.
Both India and Canada expelled each other’s diplomats, cut down on visa approvals and downgraded their relationship. Despite this, meetings between senior security officials of India’s National Investigation Agency and Canadian Security Intelligence Services have happened.
Bilateral trade is another issue of concern as in 2024, it stood at $8.6 billion—much below the potential. The 6th India-Canada Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment was held in Ottawa in May 2023 and 10 rounds of Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA) negotiations have been held to date.
India’s Department of Atomic Energy and Canada’s Cameco, a Saskatoon-based company, could renew their agreement signed in 2015 for the supply of uranium concentrate. Cameco has expressed its interest in renewing the agreement, said sources. In 2015 when Modi had visited Canada, the two sides signed a $350 million agreement to purchase 7 million pounds of uranium concentrate.
Canada hosts nearly 18 lakh Canadians of Indian origin, of whom the Sikh population is roughly 7.7 lakh. Another 10 lakh Non-Resident Indians are in Canada in various capacities, including students and skilled and temporary workers.
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