Will the recent bilateral meeting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, on the margins of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, prove productive? Observers say there is now some positivism in Canada’s new thinking on India. Canada today is seeking to diversify its trade from beyond the United States, given tariff threats from American President Donald Trump. It seems to think it can reach out to India in this regard.

However, Canada is yet to firmly base its ties with India on a commitment to its values of democracy and pluralism. Canada has seldom appreciated such foundational values. In 1948 Canada supported a plebiscite in Kashmir. It did not appreciate that Kashmir would better remain an integral part of India in the interests of democracy in the region. In 1974 and 1998, Ottawa opposed India’s nuclear tests.

In 2002, Canada officially suspended relations with Gujarat. Ottawa ignored what led to the........

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