'India Is Central To..': Canadian PM Mark Carney After Inviting PM Modi To G7 Summit

Last Updated:June 08, 2025, 13:43 IST

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he extended an invitation to PM Modi for the upcoming G7 Summit, owing to India's importance in global supply chains.

Canadian PM Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Reuters/File)

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday clarified his decision to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the upcoming G7 Summit being held in the Canadian province of Alberta, saying India is central to a number of supply chains.

Responding to a media query about inviting PM Modi to the Summit, Carney said he extended the invitation after consulting with other G7 member-countries. Canada is hosting the G7 Summit from June 15 to 17 as the current chair of the group.

“Canada’s in the role of the G7 chair and in those discussions has agreed with our G7 colleagues include important discussions on energy security, on digital future, critical minerals, amongst others, and partnerships actually in building infrastructure in the emerging and developing world," he said during a briefing.

‘India’s Presence Is Essential’

“There are certain countries that should be at the table for those discussions, and in my capacity as G7 chair, in consultation with others, some others, make those determinations."

Carney’s remarks came after his political opponents criticised him for inviting PM Modi amid an ongoing probe surrounding the 2023 killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which soured ties between India and Canada.

“India, the fifth largest economy in the world, effectively the most populous country in the world, central to a number of those supply chains at the heart of a number of supply chains so it makes sense," Carney said.

On Friday, Carney had emphasised that India’s presence at the intergovernmental political and economic forum is essential, where discussions on important issues, including security and energy, would be held.

Carney said that India and Canada are acting on law enforcement. “In addition, bilaterally we have now agreed importantly to continued law enforcement to law enforcement dialogue so there’s been some progress on that recognizes issues of accountability I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi for in in that context and he has accepted it," he said.

PM Modi Confirms Participation

PM Modi on Friday confirmed he would attend the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit in Canada after an invitation from newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

“Glad to receive a call from Prime Minister Mark J Carney of Canada. Congratulated him on his recent election victory and thanked him for the invitation to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis later this month. As vibrant democracies bound by deep people-to-people ties, India and Canada will work together with renewed vigour, guided by mutual respect and shared interests. Look forward to our meeting at the Summit," he said in a post on X.

Notably, India-Canada ties nosedived in the aftermath of Nijjar’s killing after former PM Justin Trudeau publicly alleged New Delhi’s role behind the killing. India has repeatedly denied these allegations, and has taken a decisive stand against what it perceives as Canada’s non-seriousness in dealing with the Khalistan issue.

Carney has not commented so far on whether he believed India had any involvement in pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing. “There is a legal process that is literally underway and quite advanced in Canada, and it’s never appropriate to make comments with respect to those legal processes," he said.

Ottawa, Canada

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