As Indian NSA Ajit Doval meets top Canadian official, Delhi & Ottawa look for new "practical" areas of co-operation
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "As Indian NSA Ajit Doval meets top Canadian official, Delhi & Ottawa look for new \"practical\" areas of co-operation")
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and David Morrison, senior diplomatic and international affairs adviser to the Canadian prime minister Photograph: (WION)
India and Canada reviewed security and law-enforcement cooperation in New Delhi as both sides push to conclude a trade agreement by the end of 2026.
India and Canada have reviewed progress in security and law-enforcement co-operation during talks in New Delhi, as the two governments press ahead with efforts to conclude a trade agreement by the end of the year.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met David Morrison, senior diplomatic and international affairs adviser to the Canadian prime minister, on Tuesday. Indian officials said the meeting formed part of a regular bilateral security dialogue at the level of national security advisers.
The two sides examined the state of co-operation on security and law enforcement and "agreed to identify further areas for practical collaboration", the officials said. No further details of the agenda were released.
The talks come days before an expected visit to Delhi by Canada’s foreign Anita Anand and trade minister Maninder Sidhu. Both governments have said they want an early conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Officials on both sides have indicated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could travel to Canada in December to sign the pact if negotiations are completed in time.
The security meeting is the latest in a sequence of high-level contacts that have marked a major reset in relations. Canada’s prime minister visited India earlier this year, and PM Modi was in Canada last year. The current re-set is seen as an attempt to restore routine co-operation after a sharp rupture in 2023.
Ties deteriorated after then Canadian PM Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents were linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani extermist & India listed terrorist. New Delhi rejected the allegation and accused then Canadian PM of failing to act against violent extremism directed at India.
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Engagement resumed after a change of government in Ottawa and a series of meetings between the two prime ministers. Security consultations have since been restored, with focus on counter-terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking and the exchange of information.
Trade officials have moved in parallel. Negotiators began the 5th round of CEPA talks this month, and ministers have set the end of 2026 as a target for conclusion. Bilateral goods trade is currently in the region of $8–10bn each way, well below the potential both sides cite in energy, critical minerals, agriculture, services and investment.
