Ottawa: Canada has named Jeff David as Consul General in Mumbai, its first diplomatic appointment to India since New Delhi recalled its envoy and five other diplomats and expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats in October last year.
David will become Consul General in Mumbai, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand announced Wednesday.
David, who has served in Afghanistan and China, will replace Diedrah Kelly, who left India in 2023.
The development comes weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June. It was the first meeting between the two leaders since Carney assumed office in May 2025.
The two leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries.
The ties between India and Canada strained after the then-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September 2023 of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing outside a gurdwara in Surrey city June 18, 2023.
India, which had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, had strongly rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated.”
In October last year, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced it was withdrawing its High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other “targeted” officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa’s allegations linking the envoy to a probe into the killing of Nijjar.
India had accused Trudeau’s government of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.
Carney, an economist and political newcomer, replaced Trudeau.
After Trudeau’s exit, New Delhi said it hoped to rebuild ties with Canada based on “mutual trust and sensitivity”.
PTI
