From energy to AI: Five big themes behind Carney’s mission to India

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to India meant to reset bilateral relations after two years of extreme tensions.

Canada and India halted trade talks and pulled their diplomats after Canada alleged in both 2023 and 2024 that agents of the government of India were behind acts of violence and extortion targeting Canadian Sikhs, mainly those who support the creation of an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.

But U.S. President Donald Trump’s erratic approach to trade and threats of annexation have led Carney to attempt to rebuild the relationship with India. His government set up security talks with New Delhi in the hopes of addressing flashpoints — like transnational repression — without allowing them to dominate the relationship.

While the prospect of a trade deal likely will dominate media coverage of his visit, Carney is also expected to touch on multiple other topics when he sits down with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“Canada has a lot of ground to make up,” said Vina Nadjibulla, vice-president of the Asia Pacific Foundation.

“This is about rebuilding trust, because there is a desire to engage in a long-term strategic partnership with India.”

Here are five things that might be on the table:

1) Energy

Energy Minister Tim Hodgson visited India last month to relaunch regular talks on trade in both conventional and green energy. Officials in both countries pointed out that Canada is a major energy exporter, while India is among the world’s top consumers of oil and liquefied natural gas.

Nadjibulla said India is under U.S. pressure to shift away from Russian oil imports and is seeking new sources of fuel abroad.

She said energy could anchor the bilateral reset through decade-long agreements.

“We’re likely also to see some specific announcements that have been unlocked because of the political reset initiated last year, on something like uranium, for instance,” she said.

2) Education

Both countries say they want educational exchanges that focus on research into artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies.

The umbrella group Universities Canada sent a delegation to India earlier this month to explore ways the two countries could partner on research.

While a handful of Canadian schools have branch campuses abroad, they’re much less common than foreign campuses operated by American, British and Australian post-secondary institutions.

3) Technology

Canada, Australia and India agreed last November to launch a technology and innovation partnership. That agreement is still taking shape but it’s expected to include green energy and building resilient supply chains through AI and critical minerals.

India hosted a major AI summit in February. Nadjibulla said the summit was aimed at standing up “a Global South model” of AI adaptation that depends less on the costly data centres Washington and Beijing are pursuing.

She said that could help insulate India from AI-driven shifts that could undermine its strength in technology services.

In an interview last week, Indian High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik said the two countries can work together in aerospace, film production and defence, and through more parliamentary exchanges.

“It’s not just about numbers of how many billions of economic activity. It’s about the whole gamut,” he said. “We have a lot to learn from you.”

Patnaik said India also wants to tap into Canada’s expertise in the Arctic.

New Delhi has had a research base in Antarctica since the 1980s, which it says helps it understand freshwater resources in the Himalayas and the impact of climate change on monsoons.

Patnaik said India would like to go beyond deploying researchers to Canada’s High Arctic research station in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, and set up “a study base station” there.

4) Crime

Canadian Sikhs who advocate for a separate Sikh homeland to be carved out of India have long been a source of tension between New Delhi and Ottawa.

India has accused Canada of not taking Sikh extremism seriously and has argued the RCMP botched its investigation of the 1984 Air India bombing. Canada, meanwhile, has insisted that calls for a separate Khalistan state amount to protected free speech as long as they are peaceful.

The argument intensified in 2023, when reports emerged of a float depicting the assassination of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi appearing in a parade in Brampton, Ont.

In June of that same year, Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, B.C. Ottawa later alleged that agents of the Indian government were linked to the killing. New Delhi insists Ottawa has not shown detailed evidence to justify that claim.

Earlier this week, Khalistan activist Moninder Singh of B.C. said he received a warning from Vancouver Police about a credible threat to his life, which he said he suspects is linked to the Indian government.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree has said the RCMP commissioner and other top security officials continue to discuss public safety and national security with Indian officials.

But Sikh groups have said they were alarmed by Ottawa’s failure to mention transnational repression or foreign interference in its Feb. 7 summary of the latest round of talks.

5) Immigration

India would like Canada to make it easier for its experts to come here. New Delhi argues that scientists and businesspeople face onerous, lengthy visa protocols. India also has faced years of criticism over slow processing of visa applications.

Patnaik last fall tied Canada’s processing of visa applications to New Delhi’s willingness to allow Ottawa its full complement of diplomats in India. He said last week that experts seeking Canadian visas still face delays, but the diplomatic corps in both countries no longer have problems sending their staff to each other’s posts.

Patnaik said India would like to have a trusted traveller program with Canada, similar to the Nexus agreement available to Canadians and Americans.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2026.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press