Mark Carney

Mark Carney took over as Prime Minister of Canada from Justin Trudeau on 14 March 2025. For Sikhs in Canada his government is judged on one question: how it handles relations with India while the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in June 2023 is before the courts and a Sikh community leader was warned by police as recently as February 2026 of a threat to his life.

Key moments

• 17 June 2025: Carney, hosting the G7 summit at Kananaskis, Alberta, met Narendra Modi. The two agreed to restore high commissioners, restart talks on a trade agreement and cooperate on transnational law-enforcement issues (The Tribune). On 28 August 2025 Canada named Christopher Cooter and India named Dinesh Patnaik as the new high commissioners (National Newswatch).
• 22 February 2026: Vancouver police warned Moninder Singh, head of the Sikh Federation of Canada, of a credible threat to his life, and for the first time his wife and children were included. He said he believes the Indian government is behind it; police have not confirmed who is responsible (Q107).
• 25 February 2026: before Carney's India visit, unnamed senior Canadian officials told reporters that Canada no longer believes India is linked to violent crime on Canadian soil and is confident that such activity is not continuing (reported by ANI from the Toronto Star briefing, via Free Press Journal). The World Sikh Organization of Canada, the Ontario Gurdwara Committee and the Sikh Federation of Canada rejected the claim and asked MPs for transparency and an independent public inquiry into the Nijjar killing. Carney said he would not use the official's words and that Canada will not tolerate foreign interference or transnational repression by anyone (The Pointer, 4 March 2026).
• 27 February to 2 March 2026: Carney visited India, the first visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2018. The joint statement committed both sides to conclude a trade agreement by the end of 2026 and spoke of deeper work on extortion, cybercrime and trafficking. Canada's readout said the leaders affirmed the rule of law, including in combatting transnational repression and organised crime, and noted significant progress in the security and law-enforcement dialogue. Neither document names Nijjar.
• 16 June and 13 October 2026: Canada's readouts of a G7 meeting and a call with Modi speak of trade, defence and security cooperation, a security dialogue held in India in early October, and a visit by Modi to Canada in December. Neither mentions Nijjar or transnational repression.

What is disputed. The Carney government says it is working with India on security and law enforcement and will not tolerate transnational repression. Sikh organisations say the official briefing that India had stopped its criminal activity came without evidence, and cite the police warning to Moninder Singh. A Liberal MP, Parm Bains, said he strongly rejected any attempt to downplay India's involvement (The Pointer).

What he is remembered for. So far, for restoring relations with India in 2025 and 2026, and for the questions Sikh organisations raise about it.