A majority of Canadians believe that trade should be a priority in the relationship with India and support Prime Minister Mark Carney’s ongoing visit to the country, according to a new survey.
The poll, from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute or ARI in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada or APF, found that 53% of respondents thought it “is the right time for Carney to go on an official visit to India, with a further 7% believing the trip is too long in coming.”
A larger number, 57%, were of the opinion that Ottawa “should prioritise trade and investment generally in its relationship with India, while a specific focus on energy (31%) also ranks high on potential cooperation points, above working together on emerging technologies (16%), high-skilled immigration to Canada (14%) or security and defence (7%).”
However, while Carney said in Mumbai on Saturday he is hopeful of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement or CEPA being clinched by the end of this year, 58% of those surveyed felt “Canada should ‘cautiously re-engage’ on a free trade agreement ‘but let negotiations unfold at their own pace’. Fewer (18%) want a deal to be signed ‘as soon as possible’.”
However, views about India have not emerged after the battering it took following the statement by then PM Justin Trudeau in the House of Commons on September 18, 2023, that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, three months earlier.
India has described those accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.”
ARI pointed out that “Canadians’ views towards India have not warmed at the same pace as official relations.” Just 30% said they have a favourable view of India, a similar number to that seen in March last year, and little improved from the lows seen in December 2024 (26%). More Canadians prefer their government approach India cautiously (38%) than on friendly terms or as a valued partner and ally (32%).
Commenting of these findings, ARI’s vice-president, research and strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, said, “The diplomatic reset with India has not yet translated into a public opinion reset. Canadians support engagement — but they don’t feel positively about India. If Ottawa wants this reset to endure, it will need to clearly articulate why India matters to Canada’s economic security and diversification in a more fragmented global economy.”
“The reset has political space, but it hasn’t yet translated into public warmth. That means governments now have to clearly articulate why India matters to Canada’s economic security and diversification and the visit has to translate into concrete results Canadian can see,” she added.
The reset came when Carney met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the G2 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis in June last year. It turned into a renewal of the relationship when they met again in November, at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, leading to the announcement of launching fresh negotiations towards the free trade agreement, CEPA. Carney is currently on his first bilateral visit to India, and as the two PMs meet in New Delhi on Monday, it will mark their third bilateral in less than nine months.