Amid the strain in ties with the US over the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs and the “ongoing global economic uncertainty”, India Monday signalled the revival of bilateral relations with Canada as the two sides agreed on a roadmap to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, civil nuclear collaboration, artificial intelligence, critical minerals and energy.Canada’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand, who reached New Delhi Sunday night, held talks Monday with her counterpart, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi before leaving for Mumbai at night.New Delhi and Ottawa agreed on a raft of measures: start ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment, resume the India-Canada CEOs Forum in early 2026, revive the energy dialogue, discussions on civil nuclear energy cooperation, and a joint working group on higher education.This is the first visit to India by a Canadian Foreign Minister in over two years. Ties between the two countries plummeted in 2023 after Justin Trudeau, the then Canadian Prime Minister, alleged “potential” involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Canada-based Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – a charge that India rejected as “absurd” and “motivated”. This led to downgrading of diplomatic ties.Following the change of guard in Ottawa, Prime Minister Mark Carney met Modi on the sidelines of the G7 leaders summit in Kananaskis this June and the two leaders asked their officials to mend ties.On Monday, after his meeting with Anand, Modi, in a post on X, said, “Welcomed Canada’s Foreign Minister, Ms. Anita Anand. Discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in trade, technology, energy, agriculture and people-to-people exchanges for mutual growth and prosperity.”The joint statement by the two sides flagged “respect for each other’s concerns and sensitivities” – an oblique reference, from Delhi’s perspective, to the pro-Khalistan activities on Canadian soil.Story continues below this ad“The meeting in New Delhi is a follow-up to the guidance provided by the Prime Ministers of the two countries during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, to take calibrated measures to restore stability in the relationship and to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership grounded in respect for each other’s concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities,” the joint statement said.Jaishankar told Anand, “Our meeting today has prepared an ambitious roadmap to advance our cooperation in various domains including trade, investment, agriculture, science and technology, civil nuclear collaboration, AI, critical minerals and energy.”He said the two High Commissioners have assumed responsibilities in the capitals.Underlining that India-Canada bilateral relations have been “steadily progressing in the last few months”, Jaishankar said, “We are working to restore and reinvigorate the mechanisms necessary to advance our partnership. As Prime Minister Modi noted during his meeting with Prime Minister Carney in Kananaskis, India’s approach is to move forward with a positive mindset.”Story continues below this ad“Our responsibility as Foreign Ministers is to shepherd the process of rebuilding our cooperation and to ensure that it delivers on the expectation of our Prime Ministers and the interests of our people. It means not only taking initiatives in our particular jurisdiction but to monitor and integrate interactions across the entire breadth of the Government,” he said.The joint statement talked about a ‘New Roadmap’: “In keeping with the priorities that the Prime Ministers of India and Canada had set out for bringing momentum to the relationship, both sides, based on mutual respect for shared democratic values, the rule of law, and a commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, reached consensus on a New Roadmap for India-Canada relations.”Without mentioning Trump’s tariffs and the fallout, it said, “The Ministers recognised that in the context of ongoing global economic uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions, a strong and resilient India-Canada bilateral relationship is essential. Reviving this partnership will not only create opportunities for enhanced economic cooperation but also help mitigate vulnerabilities arising from shifting global alliances, ensure more reliable supply chains, and reinforce strategic stability in an increasingly complex international environment.”Affirming trade as a “cornerstone of bilateral economic growth and resilience”, and acknowledging growing opportunities in goods, services, and investment, the two sides agreed that early initiatives in trade cooperation will include “commencing, at an early date, ministerial-level discussions on bilateral trade and investment informed by today’s economic realities and each country’s strategic priorities”.Story continues below this adThey also agreed on “resuming the Canada-India CEO Forum which will bring together leading business executives from both countries to identify concrete, actionable recommendations for both governments to facilitate increased bilateral trade and investment, with a focus on priority sectors such as clean technology, infrastructure, agri-food, and digital innovation. The Forum will convene on the margins of a senior-level trade mission in early 2026”.In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with two-way trade coming to $33.9 billion while Canada’s merchandise exports to India totalled $5.3 billion.On people-to-people linkages, both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in education, tourism, cultural exchange, and professional mobility.So, they decided to “refresh” collaboration in higher education and research to reflect the increasingly deep talent pools and cutting-edge research in each country, research partnerships in emerging technologies (such as AI, cybersecurity and fintech), expand Canadian academic presence in India through overseas campuses, and a revitalised Joint Working Group on Higher Education as a means to further expand Canada-India academic networks and institutional ties.On energy, the joint statement said that they agreed to re-establish the Canada-India Ministerial Energy Dialogue (CIMED), promote two-way trade for LNG & LPG and investment in oil and gas exploration and production sector, including clean technologies, collaborate on sustainable low-carbon fuels and technologies – such as green hydrogen, biofuels, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) and electric mobility – as well as strengthen supply chains, policy frameworks and market access, exchange best practices on electricity system management to enhance grid safety, stability and renewable integration.Story continues below this adThey also decided to promote dialogue among government, industry and think tanks to identify how Canada’s mining expertise can provide India with critical minerals needed for energy security.The two sides welcomed “ongoing discussions in civil nuclear cooperation in support of clean energy transitions” and discussions between India’s Department of Atomic Energy and Canadian uranium suppliers, from the standpoint of existing and proposed new mines.They also decided to hold the first Critical Minerals Annual Dialogue on the margins of the Prospectors and Developers Association Conference in Toronto in March 2026.On the new frontiers in S&T including AI and digital infrastructure, they decided to relaunch the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee, foster mutually beneficial partnerships to expand access to AI for everyone, encourage Canadian AI companies and researchers to participate in India’s forthcoming AI Impact Summit from February 19-20, 2026 and explore opportunities for cooperation in digital public infrastructure.To this end, the Ministers agreed that “their High Commissions and Consulates will strengthen institutional capacity by progressively deploying expertise in the economic, political, defence and technology domains to deliver on the shared ambitious agenda. These efforts will contribute to rebuilding trust and deepening cooperation between the two countries,” the statement said.Both ministers pledged to expand collaboration on global issues, including working to ensure more effective, and inclusive multilateral institutions.Story continues below this adJaishankar said, “India and Canada have a long tradition of being active in world affairs. We are members of the G20 and the Commonwealth. Our convergences in the Indo-Pacific are notable. We are strong proponents of effective multilateralism, climate action and SDG Agenda 2030. We seek to de-risk the international economy today by forging strong partnerships of growing range and depth.”