Canada’s Carney heads to India in bid to reset strained ties

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was set to arrive in India on Friday in his first visit to the country as he seeks to repair strained ties and diversify trade away from the US, a report said.

He will also visit Australia and Japan next week, said US-based ABC News.

Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi deteriorated in 2023 after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in the killing of prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, which India denied.

Analysts say pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has suggested that Canada could become his country's "51st state," is pushing Canada to broaden its economic partnerships.

"Donald Trump's rhetoric and policies are clearly pushing Canada to diversify its economic and trade relations," said McGill University professor Daniel Beland, according to ABC News.

Sikh leaders criticized the outreach, with Danish Singh, president of the World Sikh Organization of Canada, saying: "We are deeply disappointed by this government's absolute capitulation and appeasement…We cannot accept that."