The “Mumbai Mismatch”: Anand and Carney Face Questions on India Reset

Published on: February 28, 2026

The "Mumbai Mismatch": Anand and Carney Face Questions on India Reset

As of February 28, 2026, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is navigating a delicate diplomatic minefield in Mumbai. While the government is pushing for a major “trade-first” reset, mixed signals regarding Indian foreign interference are creating a significant credibility gap back home.

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Table of Contents

The “All-Clear” vs. The “Pass”

The controversy stems from two conflicting narratives within the Canadian delegation:

The Official Line: Just before the trip, a senior federal official told reporters that Canada is now “confident” that Indian government agents are no longer involved in extortion or violent threats on Canadian soil. The reasoning? Prime Minister Mark Carney wouldn’t be in India if the threat remained active.
Anand’s Refusal: When repeatedly pressed by journalists in Mumbai to confirm this “all-clear” status, Minister Anand notably refused to repeat it. Instead, she fell back on the mantra that “no country has a pass” regarding Canadian security and emphasized that the rule of law remains paramount.

The Political Stakes

The Carney administration is currently attempting to pivot Canada’s foreign policy toward “strategic autonomy” and economic resilience. Key drivers for this trip include:

CEPA Negotiations: Accelerating the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to double two-way trade to $70 billion by 2030.
U.S. Tariff Pressure: Diversifying trade partners (India, Australia, Japan) to mitigate economic risks from a volatile relationship with Washington.
The “Low-Key” Approach: Unlike past visits, this mission has been strictly business, avoiding cultural stops in Punjab or ceremonial displays that previously caused friction with New Delhi.

The Critic’s Corner

Sikh advocacy groups and some security experts have voiced concern that Ottawa is “whitewashing” serious security allegations in exchange for trade concessions. While the government points to “new mechanisms” for monitoring cyber threats and financial irregularities, critics argue that the lack of a clear “yes or no” from Anand suggests the security situation is far less settled than the PMO claims.