India, Oct. 22 -- Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand's visit to Delhi and Mumbai last week marks a new juncture in Canada-India relations. The return of Donald Trump to the White House, Mark Carney's rise to the prime minister's office in Ottawa, and a transformed global landscape have all shaped this moment - one where both countries appear poised to refocus their relationship after a reset earlier this summer. Ottawa and Delhi have decided to anchor this reset on economic security, enabling both countries to support each other's economic interests in ways that strengthen sovereignty and resilience. This approach represents a major departure from the past. For years, Ottawa has viewed India largely through a familiar prism: A bulwark against China, an attractive market, a source of immigrants, and a key node in the Indo-Pacific. Going forward, India must be seen as a peer and strategic partner - one to engage across critical domains such as emerging technologies, energy, the climate crisis, agriculture, and defence. Trump's return has only heightened India's importance, given its high growth rates. Focusing on economic security means making India more than just a trade partner. The ambitious joint statement following Anand's visit testifies to that intent. Building a mutually beneficial partnership that enhances resilience, reduces dependencies, manages supply-chain risks, and deepens coordination on digital and clean-energy technologies will be crucial. Anand's agenda in New Delhi and Mumbai did not revolve solely around trade and investment. Past discussions have focused excessively on negotiating a trade agreement at the expense of crafting a broader strategic partnership. Securing an interim or comprehensive trade agreement will take time, especially as both sides balance parallel negotiations - India with the US and European Union, and Canada with other partners. Attention must now move beyond tariffs toward investment, standards, and technology exchange. India is rapidly scaling its capabilities across multiple sectors - defence manufacturing, semiconductors, space, clean energy, critical minerals, and infrastructure. These strides make New Delhi a viable, if still complex, long-term partner. Yet the two countries lack a dedicated technology-focused mechanism - akin to the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) or the EU-India Trade and Technology Council - that could spur collaboration on semiconductors, cybersecurity, space, AI, and telecoms while harmonising standards for secure and trusted digital trade. The absence of coordination on standards and rules, particularly in defence and electronics where dual-use concerns loom large, will require deliberate engagement. Both sides must rebuild trust on governance and transparency, addressing issues such as export controls, non-tariff barriers, and intellectual-property protections. Energy cooperation is a critical pillar. Canada's strengths in conventional energy, renewables, and critical minerals can help meet India's energy needs. But ambition must be tempered with realism. The lack of an effective bilateral energy architecture, combined with distance and price constraints, could stymie cooperation. Shipping Canadian LNG and minerals across the Pacific is neither cost-effective nor practical. India is also locked into long-term deals with suppliers such as the UAE and Qatar. On critical minerals, India's current focus on Latin America and Africa may make it difficult for Ottawa to become a preferred source in the near term. Still, establishing a joint energy dialogue and framework to negotiate energy issues could bridge gaps. Canada must also differentiate itself in India's crowded energy landscape - offering not just resources, but technology, investment, and credibility in the clean-energy transition. Delivering this economic-security partnership will require trust, institutional capacity, and political steadiness. Canadian firms will face regulatory hurdles navigating India's federal system, while India's emphasis on self-reliance and selective industrial liberalisation may constrain their participation in sensitive sectors. Both sides will also need to manage the politics surrounding the Nijjar case. That reckoning will form part of a broader process of reset and reconciliation, as diplomats work to build political, legal, and economic frameworks to manage challenges and expand opportunities. For Ottawa and New Delhi, an economic-security-focused partnership would lend ballast to a relationship long prone to episodic crises. It offers both countries a long-term pathway to diversify, hedge against global uncertainties, and jointly shape the emerging economic and technological order in the Indo-Pacific....