Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu told Reuters that he had a productive meeting with Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, following a years-long diplomatic dispute linked to the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist.

Sidhu went to New Delhi for three days, one of the highest-level trade engagements to happen between Canada and India since 2023, when negotiations were halted following then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusations of the Indian government’s involvement in the killing of Canadian Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June 2023. The Indian government denied any accusations of involvement in the assassination, and consequently both governments promptly removed each other’s diplomats from their countries. India also suspended visa services in Canada. Following all of this conflict, however, the new Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has begun re-establishing trade ties with India. Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in June, agreeing on a mutual desire to reconcile the relationship.

Sidhu said that the meeting “went really well. We focused on areas of opportunity — aerospace, AI, critical minerals, energy, agriculture — and what more we can do together”. Officials of both countries seem to be looking forward to the re-establishment of trade and an overall positive relationship between the two countries, and what they can gain from the other.

The peaceful negotiation of each country is to be applauded- this is the kind of international progression that officials should strive for worldwide. The damage to the relationship between Canada and India is now being rebuilt under Carney, hopefully bringing a mutually beneficial resolution to the tensions.

Although this conflict was sparked by assassination, the investigation is still ongoing, so to point fingers at the Indian government was bound to step on toes and bring about conflict. Recent moves to peacefully re-establish trade and a positive relationship between the two countries will be beneficial for both Canada and India, and sets a good example for peaceful conflict resolution.