India, Canada working on reinstatement of High Commissioners: MEA
New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Wednesday stated that India and Canada are working to reinstate the High Commissioners to each other's capitals. The move follows efforts to normalise relations that had deteriorated sharply last year.
At a press briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney had reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada. He added that both sides agreed to take constructive steps to 'restore stability' in the relationship.
'We had issued a press release when we had the last meeting of PM Modi with Prime Minister Carney, on the sidelines of G7 in Kananaskis in Alberta. Both leaders then reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both sides agreed to take calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship, beginning with the early return of high commissioners to each other's capitals,' Randhir Jaiswal said.
'That was what was agreed between the prime ministers. Both countries are now working on this particular matter,' he added.
Diplomatic tensions between the two nations flared up last year after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that his government had 'credible allegations' of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023.
India had strongly denied the charges, calling them 'absurd' and 'motivated.' In response, India recalled six diplomats, including its High Commissioner to Canada, after they were labelled 'persons of interest' by Canadian authorities investigating the killing. India also expelled six Canadian diplomats, including Canada's High Commissioner to India.
Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.
With Mark Carney now serving as the Canadian Prime Minister after Trudeau's resignation, both countries appear to be taking steps to improve ties. According to MEA, PM Modi and PM Carney had a 'key meeting' at the G7 Summit where they discussed ways to restore and strengthen the bilateral relationship.
India and Canada also agreed to resume senior and working-level mechanisms and discussions in various areas, including: trade, people-to-people contact, connectivity and collaboration in key areas like, cooperating on clean energy and technology initiatives, collaborating on digital infrastructure projects, exploring opportunities for cooperation in artificial intelligence and discussing potential collaboration on food security and critical minerals. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
14 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Carney government's ‘nation-building' bill passes in Senate despite criticism
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's controversial legislation to fast-track 'nation-building' development projects is on its way to becoming law, after the rushed passage of Bill C-5 cleared third reading in the Senate on Thursday. But the progress of the legislation — the first government bill to pass in both chambers under the minority Liberal administration elected April 28 — was marred by expressions of outrage from some senators, who criticized the legislation's creation of 'so-called Henry VIII' powers that allow the federal cabinet to override laws and regulations to approve development projects. Some also condemned what they saw as the bill's lack of consultation and requirements to respect Indigenous rights, suggesting the new process could get bogged down in the very opposition and delay that it is designed to avoid.
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
North Bay mayor says he won't resign over expenses controversy
North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico held a last-minute news conference Thursday afternoon to call for an investigation into his expenses by the city's integrity commissioner. (File) North Bay Mayor Peter Chirico held a last-minute news conference Thursday afternoon to call for an investigation into his expenses by the city's integrity commissioner. Chirico said he has no intention of resigning and said he has done nothing wrong, according to city spokesperson Gord Young. The mayor has been under fire in recent weeks after the city's standard financial oversight processes flagged his use of a corporate credit card for a number of personal expenses. Charges from 2023-2024 According to reports, about $16,000 in personal expenses were charged to his corporate card. In a statement to CTV News on June 13, Chirico said that in 2023 and 2024, a number of expenses charged to his corporate credit card were flagged and reviewed and that all expenses were submitted through 'appropriate channels.' Chirico said expenses that were deemed personal, including some that fell into a 'grey area,' were fully repaid. On Thursday, he called for a full investigation into the matter by North Bay's integrity commissioner Guy Giorno to clear the air. Chirico declined requests for an interview Thursday from CTV News Northern Ontario, but said he would be available to talk next week.
Global News
27 minutes ago
- Global News
Steel tariff measures ‘fail to address the crisis we are in,' industry says
The Canadian steel industry says the federal government's recently-announced measures to combat the impacts of U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs 'fail to address the crisis we are in.' Thursday's statement from the Canadian Steel Producers Association (CSPA) takes particular issue with immediate measures like a tariff rate quota on foreign steel products, which the industry group says should be far lower to prevent the dumping of those materials at the expense of domestic producers. 'In its current form, the (tariff-rate quota) will do little to support our industry,' CSPA president and CEO Catherine Cobden said. 'While we appreciated their willingness to act, we are concerned that the immediate measures fail to address the crisis we are in.' The measures unveiled by Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet last week include a tariff rate quota of 100 per cent of 2024 levels on imports of steel products from non-free trade agreement partners in order to prevent oversupply of those metals. Story continues below advertisement The goal, Carney said, is to ensure foreign steel diverted away from the U.S. due to its 50 per cent tariffs don't end up in Canada. The government also intends to introduce new tariffs in the coming weeks to protect Canadian industries from unfair trading practices and global overcapacity, but has not set a specific date for those measures. The timeline, Cobden said Thursday, 'is at odds with the extreme urgency we are feeling.' 1:48 Carney to increase U.S. steel, aluminum tariffs if trade talks with Trump stall U.S. President Donald Trump first imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum at a 25 per cent rate in March, and later raised the rate to 50 per cent earlier this month. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'The unjustified tariffs have delivered a significant blow to our industry,' which had previously considered the U.S. a 'destination market' for 6.5 million tonnes of Canadian steel, Cobden said. Story continues below advertisement During that time, according to the CBSA, steel producers in Canada 'have significantly dropped shipments (to the U.S.) and have experienced close to 1,000 job losses to date and are preparing for thousands more.' Global News has reached out to Industry Minister Melanie Joly's office for comment on the CBSA's latest statement. Immediately following the government's announcement last week, the CBSA and the United Steelworkers Union said in a joint statement that the measures 'fall short' of what they had been asking for. The steel industry's reaction to the government measures has contrasted with that of the Aluminum Association of Canada. 'We find that these announcements strike the right balance between sending a strong signal towards focused and accelerated negotiations and using a measured approach through adaptive counter-tariffs and reciprocal procurement policies,' president and CEO Jean Simard said in a statement last week. 2:14 Canada announces retaliatory measures on US steel, aluminum tariffs In its announcement, the government said it plans to ensure Canadian steel, as well as tariff-free products from 'reliable trading partners,' are prioritized for federal procurement and future public projects, as well as in supply chains for domestic sectors like the auto industry. Story continues below advertisement Cobden on Thursday called those long-term commitments 'laudable.' 'However, without the right border actions, our steel producers will be unable to contribute to projects around our country because we will be a significantly reduced and weakened industry.' The CBSA also praised Carney's commitment to 'adjust' Canada's counter-tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum depending on the outcome of broader trade and security negotiations with the Trump administration. Carney and Trump set a 30-day timetable for those talks at the G7 leaders' summit last week. The government said in announcing the steel and aluminum measures that it intends to review its plan in 30 days, including input with industry groups. The prime minister also announced last Thursday the creation of two separate task forces for steel and aluminum that will meet to monitor the situation and advise the government.
