India and Canada have taken baby steps towards a reset of their tortured relationship, with the external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, speaking with his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, recently, almost a month after the Liberal Party of the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, won the country’s general election. The early signs since then have been promising: Mr Carney has steered clear of any comments critical of India and has avoided public references to the Khalistan issue that is, in many ways, at the heart of the recent tensions. During his election campaign,
Mr Carney, a banker whose career has been shaped by the cold pragmatism of finance, described the relationship with India as important to Canada. His choice of Ms Anand, the daughter of Indian immigrants, is also noteworthy. Unlike her predecessor, Mélanie Joly, who led the allegations that blamed Indian intelligence agents of assassinating the Sikh separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in June 2023, Ms Anand has forcefully criticised the use of hate speech against Indian diplomats in Canada. Some reports suggest that as a part of the attempted rapprochement, India and Canada might each reinstall high commissioners in the other’s capital soon. That would be welcome.

But India must stay realistic about the state of the relationship. It will not be easy for the Liberal Party to distance itself from the firm positions it took against India’s alleged role in Mr Nijjar’s killing, a case that is currently before a court. Justin Trudeau, the former Canadian prime minister, under whom ties with India nosedived, may not be in office but the shadow of his policies hovers over the party. In recent months, Canadian intelligence agencies have also accused India of attempting to interfere in the country’s domestic politics and elections. To undo the damage to the relationship, India and Canada will need to re-establish trust in each other. That will need patience. Canada will host the G7 summit in June. India has been invited to — and has attended — recent G7 leaders’ conclaves. Whether Ottawa invites New Delhi and whether India participates could reveal how rapidly the two nations move to repair ties. India and Canada had also suspended free trade talks amid their spat over Mr Nijjar’s killing. Restarting that dialogue could serve as another avenue for progress in ties. As the world grapples with instability, India and Canada must rebuild bridges.