India and Canada Appoint New High Commissioners, Marking a Fresh Start in Diplomatic Relations After Years of Tension. Image: AP News.
(The Post News)– India and Canada appointed new high commissioners in each other’s capitals, as both nations made a bold step towards reviving relations that collapsed after Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Canada in 2023.
On Thursday, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand made the new appointment of Christopher Cooter as the future High Commissioner to India. India also announced at the same time that Dinesh K. Patnaik, who is now ambassador to Spain, will assume the role of High Commissioner to Canada “shortly.” These nominations are being viewed as a fresh start in both nations’ ties, which hit an all-time low a year ago following the expulsions of each other’s senior diplomats by Ottawa and New Delhi.
Strained India–Canada Relations After Nijjar’s Killing
The hostilities came to the surface in June 2023 when Nijjar, declared a terrorist by India in 2020, was killed outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver. Months later, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attributed “credible allegations” of the murder to Indian agents.
India rejected the accusations as “politically motivated and absurd” and blamed Canada for providing sanctuary to Khalistan separatists who espouse a Sikh autonomous state. Diplomatic tensions resulted in the expulsion of senior diplomats on both sides, the suspension of visa services, and the suspension of trade negotiations.
Diplomatic momentum shifted in June 2025 when new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both committed to re-establishing senior-level diplomatic communication and making economic cooperation a priority on the agenda.
“This is a step towards the resumption of services to Canadians while setting the bilateral relationship on a course in the interest of Canada’s economy,” declared Anand. She added that Canada was moving in steps towards rebuilding confidence between the two nations. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Patnaik’s appointment reflects New Delhi’s “commitment to constructive engagement” with Canada. Beyond politics, trade relations between the two countries are a key driver behind the diplomatic reset.
India is Canada’s biggest market for foreign labor and foreign students, with tens of thousands of them entering Canada’s school system and workforce. Canada ships enormous amounts of lentils and yellow peas to India, and as such, the South Asian nation is a big destination for Canadian farmers. Prime Minister Carney has made a commitment to diversify away from America, and India is on top of that list.
The intensified interaction also takes place when India is faced with new trade concerns. Just one day before the news about the envoy, U.S. President Donald Trump doubled the duty on its goods to as much as 50%, compelling New Delhi to strengthen its ties with fellow travelers such as Canada. Despite business executives’ and government officials’ appreciation of the restart of ties, caution among Sikh communities in Canada remains.
The Sikh Federation of Canada condemned the action of Ottawa as ignoring the pending issues regarding Nijjar’s assassination. “This is not diplomacy; it’s impunity,” spokesperson Moninder Singh said. “It undermines Canadian institutions’ credibility, demonstrates commercial and geostrategic interests are paramount over justice, and puts at risk securing the very networks that Canadian security agencies warn against.”
In the meantime, India remains a category one foreign interference risk in Canada’s politics, culture, and religion, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) reported in its 2025 annual report. The most tangible sign of action in two years is the appointment of new high commissioners, Cooter to New Delhi and Patnaik to Ottawa.
But witnesses caution that confidence would be restored incrementally. The payoff of this reset in foreign policy would depend on whether the two governments could overcome domestic political compulsions and the higher returns of developing India–Canada relations in trade, education, and security.
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