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External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar held productive talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Monday, during which the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral ties and continuing high-level exchanges. Jaishankar wrote about their conversation on the social media platform X, saying the two countries expressed commitment to further expand cooperation in a number of areas.

Relations between the US and Canada are currently strained. A day before the talks, US President Donald Trump threatened Canada with heavy tariffs if it reached a trade deal with China. In response, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney clarified that Ottawa was not pursuing a free trade agreement with China and that recent talks were limited to resolving some tariff disputes. “What we did with China was to fix some problems that had developed over the last few years,” he said.

According to Canada’s vision, the country is pursuing a strategy to double its non-US export capacity over the next 10 years. “We have to protect and strengthen the Canadian economy, and trade diversification is fundamental to that,” said Anita Anand. “That’s why we turned to China, that’s why we turned to India, because we can’t put all our eggs in one basket.”

As part of this strategy, Canadian Energy Minister Tim Hodgson will participate in an energy conference in Goa and meet with Indian industry and officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The two sides will discuss cooperation and potential deals in critical minerals, uranium, and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Canada has abundant resources for these resources.

Speaking to reporters, Anita Anand said that Canada and the United States still have a strong relationship and will continue to have one. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant also emphasized that “we have a highly integrated market with Canada. Raw materials can cross the border six times during the manufacturing process. We cannot allow Canada to become a conduit for cheap Chinese goods to enter the United States.”

Analysts say this expansion of India-Canada relations will not only enhance economic cooperation between the two countries but will also prove to be strategically important by diversifying global trade.