India and Canada work to ease tensions amid Trump’s tariff threats: Report

With just a week to go before US President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs kick in, India and Canada have decided to ease diplomatic tensions and work together to tackle the levies. Trump’s reciprocal will go into effect on April 2 as he responds to “every country ripping off the US.”

Sources told Bloomberg that New Delhi and Ottawa are planning to send back their respective envoys after they were expelled last year as ties between the two countries hit rock bottom over the Khalistani issue.

As the United States imposes higher tariffs set to take effect on April 2, both India and Canada brace for economic disruptions. Amid these challenges, tensions between the two nations have eased, as they, along with other countries, seek to strengthen trade partnerships to counter potential declines in US commerce.

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Sticking together in trying times?

Relations between the two countries took a turn for the worst in September 2023 when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed India for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.

Now, as the two nations face a common challenge, India and Canada are taking steps to put aside their differences and counter US tariff threats.

Canada’s new leader, Mark Carney, took office in March, offering a chance to improve ties with India, a Canadian official told Bloomberg. Ottawa has been working to strengthen relations with New Delhi for months, as long as Canada’s laws are respected, and this approach remains unchanged since Trudeau’s departure, the official added.

A delegation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police came to New Delhi in January to meet India’s federal anti-terror and anti-money laundering officials, where the two sides discussed organised criminal gangs and the Sikh separatist movement.

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Meanwhile, earlier this week, as Trump announced tariffs on automobiles, he said that his upcoming levies would not be imposed on a “lot of countries”. He also said that not all of his threatened tariffs would be imposed on April 2.

Media reports earlier indicated that the government was refining its strategy regarding the wide-ranging tariffs that Trump had been announcing for weeks, set to take effect on April 2.