India-Canada ties likely to get boost after appointment of Anita Anand as foreign minister: Experts
In September 2023, India-Canada ties were damaged when then PM Justin Trudeau said that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing
Toronto: Experts tracking the direction of relations between India and Canada are hopeful that the appointment of Indo-Canadian Anita Anand as the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs could lead to an improvement in ties.
Among those who believe the signals are positive is former Indian High Commissioner to Ottawa Ajay Bisaria, who said, “I expect Anita Anand to excel as Foreign Minister. Her appointment should boost Canada’s diplomacy and strengthen India-Canada relations, given her strong track record of commitment to this relationship.”
He pointed out the “happy situation” wherein Anand and her Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar “share a connection with Tamil Nadu”. In post on X on Wednesday morning, Jaishankar said, “Congratulate @AnitaAnandMP on your appointment as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president, research and strategy with the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Cabana, was cautiously optimistic about the future of the relationship, as she said there is a “political opening for a reset” and Anand’s appointment “further consolidates that opening”.
She stressed the direction will be decided by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Carney has indicated he wants to repair the relationship. In the last week of April, during the last weekend campaigning for the Federal election, he said, “It’s an incredibly important relationship, the Canada-India relationship, on many levels. On the personal level, with Canadians having deep personal ties, economically, strategically.”
Anand made a similar remark while seeking re-election from her riding (constituency) of Oakville East, when she said at the end of March, “We will make sure we have strong ties with nations whose people have immigrated here and settled here including my mother’s and father’s homeland of India.”
Nadjibulla described Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s congratulatory message to Carney on April 29, after the ruling Liberal Party was certain to form the government, as a “good sign”.
She said “one of the most important signals” will be whether Modi is invited to participate at the G7 Leaders’ Summit, which will be held at a resort in Alberta in mid-June.
Overall, she said Anand’s appointment was “good news” as she was a “serious and substantive person”.
Bisaria agreed, as he said, “Anand’s balanced approach, quiet efficiency, and strong work ethic make her well-suited for the role.”
He interacted with Anand frequently during his tenure in Ottawa, including when India sent a shipment of Covid-19 Covishield vaccines to Canada in February 2021 when “US supplies were jammed!.” Anand was then Canada’s Minister of Public Procurement, responsible for the country’s obtaining vaccine supplies to counter the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the National Alliance of Indo-Canadians expressed the hope that with Anand “heading foreign affairs”, there will be “better Canada-India relations.”
In fact, according to people familiar with developments at the time, Anand had been interested in playing a central role in strengthening ties with India while she was Minister of National Defence, and was expected to travel to New Delhi in the spring of 2023 but that trip didn’t take place and by July she had moved by then PM Justin Trudeau to the post of President of the Treasury Board.
Less than two months later, on September 18, Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18. The relationship never recovered from that accusation, which was denied by New Delhi, and still remains in a difficult place.
