Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29 became one of the first world leaders to congratulate Mark Carney on his election as the Prime Minister of Canada and to the Liberal Party on their victory.
“India and Canada are bound by shared democratic values, a steadfast commitment to the rule of law, and vibrant people-to-people ties. I look forward to working with you to strengthen our partnership and unlock greater opportunities for our people,” PM Modi posted on X a short while after Carney sealed his victory late Monday night, Ottawa time.
New Delhi’s ties with Ottawa saw sharp deterioration under Carney’s predecessor Justin Trudeau who repeatedly made “ludicrous statements” against India and sympathised with Khalistanis besides also engaging in confrontation with US President Donald Trump.
Carney, a leading economist and former Governor of the Bank of Canada who was chosen by Canada’s Liberal Party as Trudeau’s replacement, had pledged to “rebuild” the strained ties with India during his election campaign.
While pitching himself as the frontrunner to replace Trudeau, Carney had given signals to mend the relationship. “What Canada will be looking to do is to diversify our trading relationships with like-minded countries, and there are opportunities to rebuild the relationship with India,” Carney said during an interaction in Calgary.
Last week, he again indicated that Canada is keen to reset relations with India. “It’s an incredibly important relationship, the Canada-India relationship, on many levels. At this point, where the world economy but also the global system has been shaken, is being reshaped, countries like Canada, like India, specifically can play an outsize role in building an open, shared economy, shared ideas, a shared relationship,” he said.
Carney, who started his career in finance before joining Canada’s public service, has engaged with India in his previous roles. “As Governor of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis, he guided Canada through one of the most turbulent economic periods in modern history, protecting jobs and helping ensure that Canada came out stronger,” Carney’s website states.
In 2013, he was recruited to lead the Bank of England, stewarding the United Kingdom’s economy through Brexit and the economic and political crises that followed. And in 2020, he began serving as the UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance — helping rally the world to build stronger economies as we fight climate change.
“Mark offers the proven leadership and real plan we need to deliver change for our party and our country, and to build the strongest economy in the G7. We are a proud nation of builders — and now, it’s time to build. Let’s build together,” reads the leader’s profile on the website.
