In the News

Canada’s new trade deal with India an ‘elevation of the relationship,' global affairs expert says

CTV News, March 2, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:   The signing of $5.5 B in trade deals between Canada-India marks a "significant day in Canada-India relations" Nadjibulla told CTV. 

"There is a real, clear economic logic to this relationship now" with both parties looking to wrap up negotiations on a Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement within the next year. 

"I think there is a huge economic complementarity here and the prime minister's trying to focus the relationship there and use that dialogue to then be able to push issues on foreign interference." 

Comparatively, she also says "there is a lot more opportunity with India" than with China, whom Canada's has also looked to reset relations with late last year. 

Majority of Canadians support Carney’s ongoing India visit, survey finds

Hindustan Times, March 2, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  Polling from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute  in partnership with the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada 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.”

Commenting of these findings, 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." 

Canada’s response to U.S. military action in Iran & talking trade with India

Global News, March 2, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  Nadjibulla cautiously says that PM Carney's support of U.S. action in Iran aligns with this "pragmatic foreign policy" approach to managing Canada's delicate relationship with the U.S. 

On Carney's trip to India, she noted the announcement by both parties on an expansion in the relationship including a wide-range of sectors such as a "ten-year deal on uranium." 

PM Carney, she says, sees economic diversification as a "national imperative... he's trying to say 'we need to re-engage with India,' and through that re-engagement we can also address the hard issues, including on foreign interference." 

'We don't take advantage of this opportunity, Canadian businesses might be placed out': Nadjibulla

BNN Bloomberg, March 2, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  "We have seen not just a diplomatic reset, but a significant expansion and elevation of the [Canada-India] relationship with a focus on an economic partnership," Nadjibulla told BNN Bloomberg. 

However, she cites "domestic political challenges" as a potential hindering factor to the Canada-India relationship. 

"A lot will depend on how the [Canadian] prime minister and the government are able to communicate clearly what their vision for India is, how they are going to be able to fully capitalize on the economic opportunities... [while] at the same time managing the public safety concerns and the public perceptions that still exist" about India in Canada.

Is India the answer to Canada's trade troubles?

CBC News: The Current (Podcast), March 1, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:   What does it take to break into India's market? "You have to show up in person... and build those relationships... on the ground," Nadjibulla says. Making use of Canada's trading ecosystem in the region to leverage opportunities and clearly understanding your value proposition, she added, and key factors when it comes India's business deals.

"India may have seemed far away, but with this visit the [Canadian] prime minster has really opened up a lot of doors. We do have a moment of opportunity and I hope more Canadians take it." 

Carney secures $2.6-billion uranium supply deal with India, launches talks on trade deal

The Globe and Mail, March 1, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  "The diplomatic reset with India has not yet translated into a public opinion reset,” Vina Nadjibulla said.

Canadians support engagement, but they don’t feel positively about India, she said. “If Ottawa wants this reset to endure, it will need to clearly articulate why India matters to Canada’s economic security and diversification and how it is dealing with the ongoing foreign interference and security concerns.”

Explore APF Canada's latest survey on Canada-India relations, conducted in partnership with the Angus Reid Institute. 

Canada’s Mark Carney kicks off ‘middle power alliance’ tour with trip to India

Financial Times, February 28, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  “This trip provides an opportunity for Carney to operationalize or to test his middle power diplomacy in the region,” said  Nadjibulla.

Nadjibulla said Carney’s goal in India — which has overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy — was “a full reset with a much more ambitious agenda of reengagement in every sector”, while the China trip was a “recalibration.”

PM looks to reset diplomatic relations and boost trade in India

Global News, February 28, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  PM Carney, Nadjibulla argues, is "trying to reframe the [Canada-India] relationship as an important partnership.... he called Canada and India natural partners... [and] complimentary economies." 

She emphasizes the two-track approach the Canadian PM and his delegation are pursuing on this trip that consists of both "security and law enforcement dialogue" and high-level dialogues on deepening economic engagement. "In order for [Canada] to reduce reliance on [the U.S.], we have to build relationships across the world, and India is just too important, too consequential, too large of an economy to ignore." She argues that Canada can and should be doing both things at once. 

A 'delicate' balance for Canada and a 'win-win' for Modi as Carney visits India

BBC, February 28, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  Allegations of foreign interference and transnational repression have remained a point of contention for some members of Canada's Sikh community, who have criticized Carney for prioritizing economic interests over their safety.

It is a situation that will require "delicate handling", Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President (Research & Strategy) of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told the BBC.

Carney expected to discuss energy, defence, uranium, trade, and more during ‘ambitious’ Asia trip

CTV News, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Jeff Nankivell, President & CEO,  APF Canada

Excerpt:   Nankivell says that PM Carney has an "ambitious agenda" heading into this trip to India. He notes the substantive deal on nuclear energy, adding that "Now that Canada has the physical capacity through the TMX pipeline expansion," you will likely see more deals between Canada and India around conventional energy. 

But when it comes to ongoing accusations of foreign interference, Nankivell says it is about "dealing with the world as it is... and not only as we wish it to be."

"The two governments seem confident they can manage [these issues] going forward," but Nankivell says the trial for the 2023 murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.,  will still be watched closely later this year. 

Canada pushes OpenAI for answers after B.C. shooting

CBC News: The National, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada; 

Excerpt:  "India is the most populace country in the world, it is the fourth largest economy, it is the fastest growing economy, and it is the important geopolitical actor... for [Canada] to diversify non-U.S. exports, India has to be a critical part of that puzzle." 

Mark Carney travels to India, Australia and Japan

The Canadian Press, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  "The Indo-Pacific is the center of gravity of geopolitics and economic growth [...] which are increasingly converging," Nadjibulla said.

“Canada is experiencing an important moment in Asia. Prime Minister Carney’s speech really marked a turning point in how Asia perceives Canada."

"...We don't have many details [on Carney's visit to India] but I hope we will have announcements related to this trilateral partnership."

L'Essentiel : Mark Carney part en mission économique

CPAC, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Jeff Nankivell, President & CEO, APF Canada

Excerpt:  "The world has changed dramatically over the past decade and a half. And we now live in a different world.

India has just signed multiple free trade agreements with partners, and Canada remains the only G7 country without a free trade agreement or trade agreement with India. On the Indian side, there has been a shift in its global approach towards free trade agreements. 

...It is a key objective for Prime Minister Carney during his visits... is to secure these investments. Both sides show strong will to advance trade and investment relations, as well as progress in several other sectors."

From energy to AI: Five big themes behind Carney's mission to India

Canadian Press, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada

Excerpt:  “Canada has a lot of ground to make up,” Nadjibulla on the Canada-India reset.

“This is about rebuilding trust, because there is a desire to engage in a long-term strategic partnership with India.”

“...We’re likely also to see some specific announcements that have been unlocked because of the political reset initiated last year, on something like uranium, for instance.'

CBC News Network’s Aarti Pole speaks with Barrett Bingley on the prime minister’s trip to India

CBC News, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Barrett Bingley, Asia Regional Director, Asia Regional Office (Singapore), APF Canada

Excerpt:  Bingley says it is important to view PM Carney's trip to India in the context of "what's been happening since the summer of 2025" in the Canada-India diplomatic reset and his broader strategy across the region.

"The prime minister has been laying out all the pieces for a trade and investment diversification puzzle and this trip has the potential to complete that and set us up for a bigger 2026." Her adds that these discussions can also "give Canada a number of cards to play in the upcoming CUSMA negotiations and some optionality in trade and investment negotiations" with both the U.S. and other economies. 

‘No longer a threat’: How Canada U-turned on India ahead of Carney visit

Al Jazeera, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada; Michael Kugelman, Senior Fellow, APF Canada

Excerpt:  Nadjibulla told Al Jazeera that Ottawa has moved from a public, crisis-driven posture to a more deliberate, step-by-step “reset”.

Under Carney, “the emphasis is on rebuilding structured channels so security concerns – including transnational repression and interference – can be handled through sustained law enforcement and national security cooperation rather than megaphone diplomacy,” she argued.

“Ottawa is trying to do both at once: defend the rule of law at home while advancing areas of mutual interest abroad. 

Meanwhile Kugelman said "Canadian officials definitely still worry about the transnational repression issue, and particularly as legal proceedings continue,”

Prime Minister Mark Carney looks to strengthen economic ties with India on trip to Mumbai, New Delhi

CTV News, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada 

Excerpt:  “Both for India and for Canada, the big picture is one of diversification and reducing overreliance on the U.S.,”  Nadjibulla said in an interview ahead of the trip.

“There is definitely sort of a Trump accelerator in play here, because both sides are moving quicker than they have in the past when it comes to forging partnerships and making deals.”

Canadian PM Carney heads to India on ‘significant’ trip to consolidate ties

Al Jazeera, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada 

Excerpt:  “This is a very significant visit and allows Prime Minister Carney to consolidate a reset that began in the relationship last year,” said  Nadjibulla.

PM Carney brings his ‘middle-power diplomacy’ to India, begins 10-day trip

CHCH News, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada 

Excerpt:  "This is Prime Minister Carney taking his Davos 'middle power diplomacy' agenda on the road." 

Nadjibulla says this trip to India will be a chance to put those tenets of Carney's viral speech to the test and bring those ideas to a part of the world "that is going to be really consequential to Canada's prosperity and security." 

Carney's messaging, she says, has "open[ed] up strategic opportunities between Canada and India that didn't exist before." 

Why is Carney in India despite a strained past?

Global News, February 27, 2026

Featuring: Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, APF Canada 

Excerpt:  Nadjibulla calls India a "critical and consequential" partner to Canada despite the last few years of tension. Mark Carney's trip to India is a "high-stakes visit" amid Canada's bid to reset its relationship with India and expand economic ties in areas like energy security. 

"The ambition for the trip is quite high. It's going to focus on economy, energy, technology, education, as well as the defence sector.... at the very least, the prime minister needs some very specific outcomes, for example announcements on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, making progress, showing Canada and India can deliver, and taking advantage of the enormous economic potential that exists" in India.