Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council Office and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, Nathalie Drouin, waits to appear in front of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in Ottawa last fall.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s national security and intelligence adviser has travelled to New Delhi for a one-on-one with her Indian counterpart, with the two countries seeking to heal their fractured relations after India was accused of involvement in the 2023 murder of a Canadian citizen.
Nathalie Drouin said in a statement that she held talks Thursday with national security adviser Ajit Doval, a former spymaster in India’s intelligence service.
The high-level discussions took place three weeks after Ottawa and New Delhi restored envoys to each other’s capitals.
Indias National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in Tehran in 2018.ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images
Bilateral relations hit rock bottom in September, 2023, when then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rose in the House of Commons to accuse the government of India of involvement in the June, 2023, fatal shooting of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.
A year later, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme announced at a news conference that the force had evidence of Indian agents’ involvement in murder, extortion, intimidation, coercion and harassment.
In 2024, Canada expelled the High Commissioner and five other diplomats. India responded by kicking out Canadian diplomats, including the High Commissioner.
Canada, India appoint new envoys in sign of improving relations
Ms. Drouin provided few details of her discussions with Mr. Doval. She did not say whether New Delhi had made any progress in determining which Indian officials allegedly played a role in Mr. Nijjar’s killing.
“We discussed our respective security concerns and committed to non-interference, including refraining from transnational repression. We also agreed on the importance of reciprocal exchange of information and mutual responsiveness,” Ms. Drouin said in the statement.
She added that her talks with Mr. Doval helped advance efforts by both countries to get relations back on track. In June, Mr. Carney invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta.
Privy Council spokesperson Pierre Cuguen said Ms. Drouin would have no further comment, saying “law-enforcement dialogues are conducted on a confidential basis to enable frank discussions and to safeguard the integrity of bilateral cooperation.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs described the Drouin-Doval meeting as an opportunity to continue to rebuild relations.
“The two sides agreed to work closely on the way forward and adopt a collaborative approach towards a new chapter in bilateral relations,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that both sides are committed to “rebuilding trust and expanding cooperation at the highest levels of political leadership.”
A man arrives in an autorickshaw at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, India, in 2024. That year, Canada expelled the High Commissioner and five other diplomats. India responded by kicking out Canadian diplomats, including the High Commissioner.Adnan Abidi/Reuters
David Morrison, the deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada, also held talks with his Indian counterpart in New Delhi. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two “welcomed the return of High Commissioners, reviewed bilateral ties, agreed to reactivate all dialogue mechanisms, & address capacity issues at respective diplomatic missions.”
Peter Jones, a former senior official at the Privy Council Office and currently a professor at the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, said both countries have an interest in re-establishing relations because of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war.
“Mr. Carney recognizes the economic importance of India,” he said. “Given the situation with the United States, Canada needs to look for new markets, and given the fact the Indians are having their own problems with the Trump administration, they will be looking for new trade opportunities.”
Canada still faces persistent foreign interference threat from India, CSIS warns
Mr. Jones speculated that Ms. Drouin would have pushed India to stop its foreign-interference activities in Canada while acknowledging that Canadian law enforcement can do more to keep tabs on Sikh separatists in Canada who cross the line into fomenting violence against India.
In its annual report to Parliament in June, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warned that India remains a persistent foreign-interference threat to this country.
CSIS said the investigation into the gangland-style slaying of Mr. Nijjar continues, adding that the links between “the government of India and the Nijjar murder signals a significant escalation of India’s repression efforts against the Khalistan movement and a clear intent to target individuals in North America.”
The report said Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalist agenda includes using Canada-based proxy agents to influence the South Asian community and politicians.
“Canada must remain vigilant about continued foreign interference conducted by the government of India, not only within ethnic, religious and cultural communities, but also in Canada’s political system,” CSIS said.