In a few days’ time the 51^st summit of the Group of Seven will be held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada that will be the first for Prime Minister Mark Carney. The 2025 meet will also be the first for leaders of Britain, Japan and Germany; and it will not be the first for Donald Trump as he has attended earlier G7 meets in his capacity as the 45^th President of the United States. As in the past a number of foreign leaders, including the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, will be present as Special Invitees for the meeting between June 15 and 17. 

On the face of it the Canadian Prime Minister does not seem to be in an enviable position. He is chairing a meeting at a difficult time in the international economic situation with talk and threats of tariffs and taxes flying all around that will definitely dent global trade and the trading system. And this is not to miss ongoing conflicts like the war in the Ukraine and the consequential political and economic implications for North America and Europe especially. 

At the time of writing, it seems like President Trump will be in Alberta but domestic compulsions by way of the ongoing violence in California and the furor of sending National Guard/ Marines to take care of disturbances puts a question mark on whether the American leader will indeed make it to the meeting. The possible absence of Trump will not dilute the depth of the conversations on the challenges facing the rich countries but the inputs of the American leader will be missed, especially in the side meetings that are being planned at this time. 

Washington’s relations with Ottawa in recent months have not exactly been on the upswing; and much of it has been on the issue of trade and tariffs between the world’s two largest trading partners. This apart, President Trump—since the time of political campaigning for the November 2024 election—has been getting on the wrong side of Canadians by referring to their country as the 51^st State of America and calling their Prime Minister “Governor.” Perhaps all this helped the Liberal Party in Canada to prevent the Conservatives from getting power; but President Trump’s characterizations of Canada have not gone away, perhaps diminished a notch or two.

Prime Minister Carney put an end to speculation on whether India would be invited for the gathering by personally reaching out to his Indian counterpart which was quickly accepted. If Prime Minister Modi was being taunted back home for not being invited for the Kananaskis Summit, his host continues to be heckled back home for extending the invitation. But being and economic and industrial powerhouse, there was a realization in Ottawa that India could not be left out; or there was a polite nudge from the rest of the six.

On a different but an important one at that, it is an opportunity for Canada and India to start the process of reconciliation in bilateral relations that started going down hill some two years ago when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau threw out in what was seen as baseless allegations without a shred of evidence of official India involvement in the killing of a Khalistani activist. Many saw in Trudeau’s judge-jury-hangman show a desperate attempt to cling on to perceived political fortunes that never really came through. But still perhaps a faint hope that a holier-than-thou attitude and anti-India rants in public would fetch dividends. 

Also, the tendency of some in the west to see destruction of Official Indian property and threatening diplomats coming under the ambit of free speech and expression was just about laughed out of court. The sober minded saw in all this as downright insulting to Canadians and to the civilized world: talking of extremism and free speech/expression in the same breadth was perceived as both preposterous and revolting. Plus, what really irked many was that Canada led by its Prime Minister then could not tell the difference between allegation and evidence. 

Fortunately for Prime Minister Carney, he does not have to carry the baggage of his predecessor even if this does not mean that political imperatives have been dramatically lightened. Prime Ministers Modi and Carney have the opportunity to take the first steps to first restore a semblance of normal diplomatic activity even if not in a position to immediately send back top officials to respective capitals right away. 

With mass mutual expulsions it would seem that there is hardly anyone left manning the missions in New Delhi and Ottawa. But a beginning has to be made, and hopefully soon for Canada and India are two democracies that cannot allow cherished values to drift for too long.

Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.

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