Cybersecurity, security liaison officers… What came out of Ajit Doval’s visit to Canada

In 2023, ties between India and Canada hit their lowest when then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian officials of being linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Three years later, it appears that under Mark Carney’s leadership, India-Canada relations are improving.

On Saturday (February 8), National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval met his Canadian counterpart, Nathalie Drouin, Deputy Clerk and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Canadian PM, in Ottawa, during which both sides agreed to a shared work plan to guide bilateral cooperation on national security and law enforcement issues.

Following the meeting of the two high-ranking officials, it was also announced that both sides would appoint security and lawenforcement liaison officers to tackle issues of mutual concern, including drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks.

Liaison officers to help strengthen Indo-Canada ties

Following Doval’s visit to Canada and meeting with his Canadian counterpart, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that both countries have agreed to post security liaison officers in each other’s countries.

“During the meeting, it was agreed that each country would establish security and law-enforcement liaison officers, and that their respective agencies would build on working relationships,” said the MEA.

This would help streamline bilateral communications and allow for the sharing of information in a timely manner on issues such as the illegal flow of drugs as well as organised criminal networks.

Khalistani groups in focus

Doval and his Canadian counterpart also discussed the issue of
Khalistani groups prevailing in the North American country.

Doval discussed the matter of extremist fundraising,
intimidation, and propaganda linked with drug money, document fraud, and coercion within the diaspora, which is targeting India, reported News18.

Following Doval’s talks with Drouin as well as with Gary Anandasangaree, Minister for Public Safety of Canada, it is reported that the Canadian government has accepted that violent extremism directed at India is not just a diplomatic irritant, but also a public safety issue.

The presence of Khalistanis in Canada and the vitriol they continue to spread has long been a thorn in India-Canada ties.

In fact, it was the killing of
Khalistani Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023 that led to a deterioration of ties between India and Canada, as then Prime Minister Trudeau blamed Indian officials for that death.

Cooperation on cybersecurity

Following the meeting of the two NSAs, it was also announced that both countries would formalise cooperation on cybersecurity policy and information sharing on cybersecurity issues. The two officials also discussed collaboration in areas such as fraud and immigration enforcement, in line with domestic laws and international obligations.

Building trust

While many would argue that Doval’s visit to Canada did not yield big-bang results, in actuality, the visit has been of great significance, as it focused on concrete steps to rebuild trust and ties rather than focus on optics.

News18 reported that the decision to post law-enforcement liaison officers shows a shared recognition that Khalistani networks are now viewed as organised crime, not free speech.

Moreover, Doval’s meeting comes ahead of Canadian Prime Minister
Mark Carney’s expected visit to India in the first week of March. Dinesh Patnaik, India’s High Commissioner to Canada, told Reuters previously that Carney is likely to sign deals on uranium, energy, minerals, and artificial intelligence.

According to Patnaik, formal negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India should also start in March. The countries agreed to restart stalled trade talks last November.

A reset in India-Canada ties

Doval’s visit to Ottawa and Carney’s possible trip to India are part of efforts to reset ties between India and Canada, which were badly affected during Trudeau’s time in office.

The Trudeau-led Canadian government had alleged potential Indian links to the killing of Canadian citizen and Khalistani Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi rejected these allegations, calling them “absurd”. This led to the expulsion of diplomats, suspension of trade talks, and a sharp slowdown in political engagement.

However, with Carney taking office, ties seem to be on the mend. Carney and Modi met on the sidelines of the G7 summit at Kananaskis, Alberta, in Canada in June last year. They agreed to take “calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship”, beginning with the early return of
Indian and Canadian High Commissioners to Ottawa and New Delhi, respectively.

New Delhi then appointed Dinesh K Patnaik as India’s new High Commissioner to Canada. Ottawa, on the other hand, appointed Christopher Cooter as the new High Commissioner of Canada in India. Carney and Modi had again met in Johannesburg on November 23 last year and agreed to start negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

Since then, engagement between India and Canada has been high — Canada’s Foreign Minister
Anita Anand visited New Delhi last October and met her counterpart S Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PM told her the visit would strengthen “efforts to impart new momentum” to the two countries’ partnership.

Anand and Jaishankar also met in the US last week, with Jaishankar writing on X, “Great to see FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada today. Talked about taking our ties forward.”

Notably, Canada’s reset with India comes at a time when Ottawa is looking to reduce its dependence on the US. As David Mckinnon, a former senior Canadian diplomat, told Deutsche Welle, “Obviously, the return of Donald Trump as US president and his increasingly destructive role in the world have completely changed that calculation in Ottawa and Delhi. For somewhat different reasons, both countries need to diversify away from reliance on the US. For both, though, this imperative is urgent and immediate.”

Now, it’s a matter of wait and watch to see what happens next in the India-Canada relationship, but one thing is certain — both countries are trying to move on from the Nijjar episode.

With inputs from agencies