Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ready to go to Canada to attend the upcoming G7 Summit, following an invite prolonged by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Amid shifting geopolitical panorama, the go to presents a key alternative to reset the strained bilateral relationship between the 2 nations, and construct on the commerce and folks ties between each the international locations.
Modi has been invited to attend the G7 Summit as a particular visitor, regardless of India not being a member of the grouping. This marks his sixth consecutive participation within the summit, underscoring India’s rising world stature. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s choice to ask Modi to the summit in Kananaskis has drawn some home backlash, however the Canadian authorities has defended the transfer, citing India’s essential function in world provide chains.
Relations between Canada and India have been tense since 2023, following allegations by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that India was related to the June 18 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist chief in Canada. Albeit, India has strongly denied any function within the matter.
India – Canada Financial Relations
Modi and Carney’s assembly additionally comes amid Canada’s commerce standoff with america. Carney is in search of to construct new partnerships and scale back Canada’s reliance on its southern neighbor by increasing export avenues.
India’s exports to Canada in 2023 have been price $7.53 billion and imports from Canada was price CAD 5.12 billion. Complete bilateral commerce in items between India and Canada was price CAD 12.65 billion in 2023. In 2024, from January to August, complete bilateral commerce in items amounted to CAD 8.55 billion, with exports amounting to CAD 5.22 billion and imports amounting to CAD 3.33 billion
The bilateral providers commerce with Canada stood at CAD 13.49 billion in 2023 with exports price CAD 3.36 billion and imports price CAD 10.13 billion. In 2024, from January to June, complete bilateral commerce in providers amounted to CAD 7.85 billion, with exports amounting to CAD 1.78 billion and imports amounting to CAD 6.07 billion.
Canadian pension funds have estimated cumulatively invested over CAD 75 billion in India. Greater than 600 Canadian firms have a presence in India, and greater than 1,000 firms are actively pursuing enterprise within the Indian market.
Indian College students In Canada
With almost 1.8 million Indo-Canadians and one other 1 million non resident Indians, Canada hosts one of many largest Indian Diaspora overseas, which account for greater than 3% of its complete inhabitants. There are additionally quite a few enterprise and Diaspora organisations, supporting enhanced bilateral relations between the 2 international locations.
An estimated 427,000 Indian college students are at present learning in Canada. Nevertheless, the quantity is starting to say no following the implementation of Canada’s new immigration technique.
Based on current information from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the variety of examine permits issued to Indian nationals fell by 31 per cent within the first quarter of 2025. Between January and March, solely 30,640 permits have been granted, a big drop from 44,295 throughout the identical interval in 2024.
Underneath Prime Minister Carney’s revised immigration coverage, the federal government goals to convey immigration right down to “sustainable ranges” by capping the share of short-term overseas staff and worldwide college students to five per cent of the inhabitants by 2028 — a discount from the present 7.3 per cent.
