External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar to visit Canada next week

New Delhi: India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will travel to Canada next week, in a significant step towards consolidating the ongoing reset in bilateral ties. The visit comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met in July, setting the stage for a thaw in relations that had hit rock bottom in 2023-24. The Indian foreign minister will attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Ontario’s Niagara Region on November 11-12. Canada, holding the G7 Presidency, is hosting the meeting for the second time this year.

A statement released by Canada said, “The meeting will bring together G7 ministers to discuss global challenges and strengthen international collaboration. The agenda will cover thematic issues including security and prosperity, as well as important work on economic resilience.”

India has been a regular invitee of the G7 summit meetings, a tradition restarted by France in 2019.

Last month, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand visited New Delhi, marking the first visit by a Canadian cabinet minister in two years. During her trip, Anand held extensive talks with EAM Dr Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal. She also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a rare gesture for a visiting foreign minister. Both sides unveiled a new roadmap for cooperation, including the relaunch of the energy dialogue and the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee.

Ties between India and Canada had nosedived after then-Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged in 2023 that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan separatist and designated terrorist by India. New Delhi rejected the claims as “absurd”. What followed was a public war of words between the two sides followed by the withdrawal of high commissioners. The turnaround in ties came when Mark Carney took over as Canadian Prime Minister in early 2025, pledging in the election campaign to restore and strengthen ties with India.

A key telephonic conversation between Jaishankar and Anand on May 29 is believed to have been the turning point. Canada extended an invitation to India for the G7 Summit in June, and by August, both nations reinstated their high commissioners. September saw National Security Advisers’ talks and pre-foreign office consultations, further solidifying the reset.