Canada-India Relations: Revitalising for a New Era

Canada recently released its Indo-Pacific strategy acknowledging the region’s centrality in present-day geopolitics. The region is home to 65 percent of the world’s population and will have 50 percent of the world’s GDP by 2040. At the same time, the Indo-Pacific has many geopolitical hotspots and is seeing a deepening of great power rivalry with the emergence of a belligerent China. Also, climate change is a pressing challenge for the Indo-Pacific, given that it is not only home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world but also 50 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy provides a comprehensive blueprint for its engagement in the region with an initial investment of around $2.5 billion over the next five years and the identification of India as a key partner. The publication of the strategy provides a new opportunity for both India and Canada to recalibrate their geo-economic and geopolitical engagement. But this requires addressing key political obstacles and deepening economic ties.