India and Canada have agreed to strengthen bilateral ties, strained after the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023, and have entered into pacts to boost cooperation in critical minerals, nuclear, and solar energy.
New Delhi and Ottawa signed a series of deals during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to the Indian capital on Monday.
Canadian firm Cameco Corp. will supply India with uranium in a $1.9 billion deal as the South Asian nation aims to expand nuclear power generation.
“In civil nuclear energy, we have reached a landmark deal for long-term uranium supply. We will also work together on small modular reactors and advanced reactors,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a joint press meet with Carney.
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand and her Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar exchanged memorandums of understanding (MoUs) on critical mineral cooperation, boosting renewable energy, and cultural cooperation.
“We’re deepening our cooperation in clean energy, expanding collaboration across wind, solar, and hydrogen because Canada has big plans as well,” Carney said.
Ottawa and New Delhi also agreed on the terms of reference for a trade deal to improve market access and investments, which aims to double bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030.
The countries will also increase defense cooperation, including maritime security and naval activities. Thirteen new partnerships between universities of the two countries were announced as part of the launch of the Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy.
Relations between India and Canada deteriorated after the G20 Summit in New Delhi in 2023. During a meeting with then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the event, Modi raised concerns about the activities of alleged anti-India extremist groups in Canada.
The relationship reached a low in October 2024, when Ottawa alleged that Indian diplomats were involved in the targeting of Sikh activists in Canada, resulting in a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomatic staff. India has repeatedly rejected the charges.
During Modi’s talks with Carney on the margins of the G7 Summit in Canada last June, the leaders decided to reset ties. New Delhi and Ottawa have since agreed to mutually increase staff numbers at their respective diplomatic missions.
Last month, senior Canadian officials reportedly said Ottawa no longer links the Indian government with crimes committed in Canada.