Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in India on Friday in his first official visit since assuming power in the country.

Upon his arrival in Mumbai, Mark Carney, accompanied by his wife Diana Fox Carney, highlighted the immense economic potential of the host nation, noting its position as a global leader in growth. Taking to the social media platform X to mark the start of his inaugural official visit to India, PM Carney emphasised the strategic importance of the trip for Canada’s economic future.

Carney will remain in the country until March 2, during which time he will hold meetings with business leaders and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Unlike his predecessors, Carney will not make a stopover in Punjab, a major source of immigration to Canada.

Carney to not follow in Justin Trudeau’s footsteps

Carney’s predecessors, Jean Chrétien, Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper, had travelled to Punjab during their official visits to India.

Chrétien visited the temple in 2003 as prime minister. Harper was in India in 2009 when he went to Punjab and its Golden Temple in Amritsar, the holiest site in the Sikh faith. He returned to Punjab during his 2012 India trip, visiting the Sikh Heritage Centre among other locations. Trudeau, on the other hand, visited the Golden Temple in 2018.

Carney looks to repair damage after Trudeau’s setback?

Ties took a downturn in 2023 when Trudeau accused India of orchestrating the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada’s Surrey.

India had rejected the charges, alleging that Canada had provided a “safe haven” for “terrorists, extremists and organised crime”.

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After Carney came to power in early 2025, both sides put in efforts to reset bilateral ties. The Canadian PM set the ball rolling by inviting PM Modi to the G7 summit in Kananaskis last June.

Months later, Carney met PM Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. Since then, the relationship between India and Canada has been amicable.

Carney’s move draws condemnation from Sikh groups

Some Sikh groups reacted negatively to Carney’s itinerary. “The Carney government has failed to hold India accountable or to create any meaningful safeguards to ensure that Sikh Canadians are protected from foreign interference and transnational repression,” the World Sikh Organization of Canada said in a statement on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

Balpreet Singh, legal counsel for World Sikh Organization, told The Globe and Mail, that Carney’s move has an underlying message. “[He] wants to show the Indians ‘I’m here to do business, and let’s not let the Sikhs complicate things.’”

Carney’s office defended his move to skip visiting Punjab, saying the trip aims to focus on business to “identify investment opportunities in Canada, and create new partnerships between businesses in both nations.”