Front Burner - India reset, Iran regime change with Minister Anita Anand

Episode Date: February 27, 2026

As Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand travels with Prime Minister Mark Carney to India, a feature conversation with Anand on the reset of the Canada-India relationship, the U.S. military build-up near Iran, CUSMA negotiations, and Canada’s foreign policy doctrine in a tense geopolitical moment.

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N-E-T-H-R-I-S dot com. Nethris, much more than just a payroll software. This is a CBC podcast. Hey, everyone, I'm Jamie Poisson. You don't need me to tell you that Canada, and frankly, much of the world, faces a precarious future. Our neighbor to the South is reshaping the global order as we know it. And as the world changes, Canada's role within it is also changing.

So today, I'm talking to Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, as she heads to India with Prime Minister Mark Carney. And we're going to discuss Canada and India's relationship reset, whether Canada supports U.S. forced regime change in Iran and Canada's foreign policy doctrine writ large. Minister Anand, thank you so much for coming on the show. Welcome to Frontburner. Thank you for having me. So there has been so much talk lately of foreign policy doctrines. We've heard U.S. President Donald Trump refer to the Donne Roe doctrine. And after Prime Minister Mark Carney's big speech at Davos last month, I think a lot of people felt that that was an articulation of the Carney doctrine.

How would you articulate Canada's foreign policy doctrine in this particular moment in history? The focus on foreign policy is conspicuous. I elucidate our foreign policy by saying that it is principled pragmatism. We continue to adhere to our long-held values, international. law, gender equality, reconciliation, environmental sustainability. And at the same time, the global trading order is being completely rewired. And this fact alone calls for pragmatism in our foreign policy and our domestic policy. And indeed the two, are integrally linked. What does pragmatism mean on the international stage?

The 12 trade agreements that we have signed in the last six months over four continents exemplifies the way in which we are seeking to double non-U.S. trade over the next 10 years. That has included foreign direct investment commitments from other countries. including the UAE with $71 billion. And so the foreign policy approach now is to ensure that we have a focus not only on principles, humanitarian aid comes to mind. Yesterday, we announced $8 million for Cuba for humanitarian purposes there. But at the same time, ensuring that we are.

are doing our part to bolster the domestic economy and doing so through our foreign policy. When our strategic interests come up against our values, how would you describe how your government makes us decisions? Like, do strategic interest trump values? Again, that's a fairly facile approach to this issue. And I would say, look at Iran, look at at Gaza, look at Cuba, look at Haiti. In all of those areas, our humanitarianism and our foreign policy relating to supporting human rights and humanitarian issues has been very forward-leading. And we will continue to ensure that we keep our pedal down in order to uphold those values. At the same time, we're working hard to ensure that foreign direct investment in Canada increases,

and in particular with respect to the 10 national projects that this government has announced to be of the utmost importance. And then finally, I'll just say that I referred to a link between domestic and foreign policy earlier. And that that link is. extremely important to remember. In the past, foreign policy used to be more about diplomatic engagements and associating with our traditional allies and like-minded countries. NATO comes to mind where there are a number of countries that hold similar foreign policy and economic positions to our country. And I'm thinking in particular of the UK and France and Germany as examples.

In this world, where the reordering of the WTO and global trading relationships is of the utmost importance and is extremely conspicuous, we are reaching beyond traditional allies and partners, to say how can we coordinate, how can we partner with other countries for the benefit of our country, Canadian interests, including Canadian economic interests. In this context, let's talk about your upcoming trip to India. This will be Carney's first visit to India as Prime Minister. I know that you have been fairly recently. But just briefly, what do we have that they want and vice versa?

So I want to take you back to 2025, and in particular, when I visited India in October, to lay the foundations for the visit that the prime minister is starting today. And in particular, when I was there, the foreign minister of India, Minister Jaishankar and I agreed to a joint declaration in which we laid out the priority. for our bilateral relationship. We began, of course, with the issue of public safety and security and the importance of the rule of law and ensured that the dialogue that is occurring at the highest levels of our respective governments on issues of public safety will continue. And then we went through a series of topics where we expect

greater governmental coordination to deliver benefits. for each country. And Canada's interest there to address your question include energy and critical minerals, agriculture, artificial intelligence and technology, business to business ties, people to people and cultural ties, including the educational links between Canada and India. So you can see there that there are a range of issues where Canada will seek to leverage our competitive advantages and receive benefits to the economy and the broader population as a result. Is it fair for me to say that this is going to be an attempt or you're in the midst of an attempt of rebuilding a relationship that has many dimensions, right? This is not like a limited recalibration. Exactly. We are elevating the Canada-India relationship along a number of metrics, beginning with public safety, but moving to several sectors of the economy. As I mentioned, the synergies between our respective agricultural sectors are very strong. Similarly with AI and technology, similarly with energy and critical minerals.

Canada is an energy superpower. Critical minerals are our secret sauce. And countries around the world realize our expertise in depth in the area of natural resources writ large. Canada is leading the world in these areas and countries are coming to us, as you've seen with LNG, leaving the west coast of Canada last June, to try to get part of the benefit. of what we have to offer here. Just on the public safety stuff, I know you know this, but just for our listeners, it's not that long ago that Canada's relationship with India was in very rough shape because there was credible information that Modi's government had been involved in the assassination of

a sick activist on Canadian soil. Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardip Singh, Nijar. Modi's government has denied ordering extrajudicial killings here, but just this week, another sick leader in BC

is saying that Vancouver police have notified him about threats on his life. Vancouver police came to Singh's house to deliver the warning on Sunday that his wife and two kids now have credible threats against their lives. Singh blames the Indian government because of his activism for a separate Calistani state in northern India. India uses criminal syndicates gangs in Canada to carry out their dirty work for them. It's unfortunate that this level of violence is happening in Canada and the leadership of this country right to its prime minister are sitting across from the very people that are orchestrating it,

shaking hands, smiling and signing deals with them. There have been concerns about the links between the Indian government and the notorious Bishnoy gang and the role that that gang has played in the extortion crisis. seeing in places like Surrey, B.C. I understand that Canadian officials are now saying that they are confident that India is no longer linked to violent crimes in Canada. This is quite a change of position. Could you just explain to me how you came to this conclusion? What evidence is it based on? I'm not sure if you actually read the transcript from the tech brief yesterday, but that very same official that you're referring to over the course of several answers, referred to a number of

guardrails that we have in place. And that represents government policy. First of all, I understand this is an extremely sensitive point. And that's why I took great pains earlier in the interview to indicate the importance of public safety in Canada, the rule of law and the respect for the criminal code of Canada. What are we doing as a government? Well, last Last week, we launched new measures to combat extortion by funding FinTrack to track the money. Earlier this month, Minister Anandas Sangri and deputy clerk Natalie Duan, the National Security Advisor, met with their counterparts in Ottawa, including Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. That's the dialogue that is occurring at the highest levels where issues like transnational repression and the respect for the rule of law will continue to occur in the short and the long term.

A major pillar of the new plan is the joint disruption of organized criminal networks that operate across borders. And in fact, you've seen our government expel six individuals, diplomats and senior Indian officials. We've listed the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity. We are combating digital threats through new legislation, which we very much hope the opposition will vote in favor of. That legislation seeks to curb fraud and immigration enforcement issues. The point of my going through this long list of initiatives that we are taking is I want to emphasize the seriousness with which we take the issues that you raised in your country. question. This is a country of the rule of law. As a former law professor, I can attest to the importance of the rule of law in this government, and I leave no stone unturned to address these

issues at the international level. Will promises or assurances on these fronts be tied to any deals made between the countries in the wake of this visit? Well, we are negotiating, comprehensive of economic partnership agreement right now. And the timeline for the conclusion of this large economic agreement is November 26. And all the way along this timeline, there will be the assertion of Canada's public safety interests and the continued law enforcement dialogue, as well as the passing, hopefully, of this legislation that I referred to.

Again, I want to stress that this is an extremely sensitive point, the protection of public safety, Canadians feeling safe in their homes. That is the priority for this government, and that is voiced by me and others on the international scene at every turn. A visit to Punjab is not on the itinerary for this trip, both Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper went to Punjab and specifically to the Golden Temple

on their first official visits to India. This is the holiest site in the sick faith. Sick separatist sentiment in Canada has been a source of tension between India and Canada in recent years, of course. Is Punjab being avoided in order to avoid stoking those tensions to help with rebuilding the relationship between these two countries? Not at all. This is a visit that is focused on the diplomatic and business tracks. The cities that the Prime Minister is visiting track my visit back in October. I visited both Mumbai and Delhi.

The Prime Minister is also ensuring that he sees the business and the governmental communities in those cities. And so as we see this relationship continue to elevate, I am sure that there will be senior official visits to numerous locations in the Indian subcontinent. At Nethris, we are Canada's payroll experts. For more than 45 years, we have proudly supported local businesses. Powered by CGI, we provide a robust and secure technological infrastructure. Let our specialists handle your payroll so you can, can maximize your efficiency and focus on what truly matters. Try Nethris now. The first month is free. Certain conditions apply. Visit Nethriss.com. N-E-T-H-R-I-S dot com. Netriss, much more than just a payroll

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I want to move now to our most important international relationship with our biggest trading partner, the United States. And I would be curious to hear how you would characterize that relationship at this particular moment in time? Well, the relationship is historic on so many levels. And like any close partners, there are hills and valleys in a relationship. Our geography means that we will forever be tied to ensuring that this relationship succeeds. And we very much hope that the review of the Kusma as planned will begin shortly as it is indicated to do so in 2026. And for my part, I have a strong professional relationship with Secretary Rubio. And though we're not responsible for

the trade file, we do work along a number of other metrics to advance Canada-US cooperation, whether it is with regards to Ukraine or Haiti or the Middle East. And so most recently, I was in the United States to discuss stability on critical mineral supply chains. So there are numerous, it's a complex relationship. There are numerous lines of work that our government is undertaking. I believe your question was referring to the trade relationship, but I don't want us to forget the larger picture here between Canada and the United States and so many Canadians and Americans that have close ties. I'd take the whole relationship to, like, would you classify the United States as a threat right now?

classify the U.S. as a trading partner and a defense and security partner that we have to take very seriously. And we need to take the words emanating from the White House very seriously. At the same time, we have to remember that our populations work and travel and visit each other on a daily basis. And that reality in terms of the closeness between our countries requires us to address the economic relationship and ensure a strong defense and security relationship going forward in the short and the long term. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you. I want to come back to QSma in just a moment, but you mentioned Iran before. And I feel like I should timestamp this conversation. You and I are talking Thursday afternoon. and at the moment Trump has not attacked Iran,

but the current presence of U.S. military forces in the region is among the largest in more than two decades. We've already seen Trump's willingness to take out a foreign leader in Venezuela. Does Canada support the U.S. forcing regime change in Iran? Canada always seeks a resolution of conflict at the negotiating table. That is where we want to see results, and we hope very much that negotiations will yield positive talks, which will include nuclear non-proliferation on Iran's part. Our focus is on the people of Iran, and in particular, we condemn the continued killings of protesters in Iran. The horrific repression and intimidation exacted by the Iranian regime is absolutely

unacceptable. That is why we have sanctioned approximately 500 Iranian entities and individuals. That is why we have listed the IRGC as a terrorist entity under Canadian law. Canada will continue to hold Iran to account. We hope that the prospect of peace will be found at the negotiating table. If negotiations don't work, I just want to be clear here. I'm asking about the United States. Does Canada support the United States militarily intervening to take down the Iranian regime? I don't deal in hypotheticals. When and if that occurs, when and it does seem like a very possible. finish my answer. Sorry.

Yeah. When and if that occurs, we will, like all serious governments, ensure that we have a response that reflects Canada's values and our concerns relating to the humanitarian issues in Iran. Okay. At the time we are speaking, there is the work we've done on sanctions and the listing of the IRGC. and the concern that we've continually evidenced for the repression of people, including women and girls, and the human rights abuses. Canada's distinct place on the international stage rests with our values as well as our pragmatism,

and we will not forget either of those. We have these very incredibly consequential negotiation. coming up, the review of the Canada-U.S. Mexico agreement. And I wonder how much Canada is calibrating all of its responses to everything and anything America does right now with a mind to not antagonizing them. The world is shifting. Canada is shifting our foreign policy as well. You saw this in the prime minister's speech in Davos. And we will continue. to calibrate our foreign policy as a result of the shifting global environment, as a result of the complete rewiring of the WTO and global trading relationships, as a result of increased conflict, as a result of Russia moving its infrastructure further and further north towards the Arctic Circle. So there are any number of reasons for Canada to

calibrate our foreign policy. We do this on a daily basis in response to global conflict and decisions that other governments are making within their sovereign rights. I know you and the Prime Minister are working hard to diversify our trading relationships globally, but 70% of Canadian exports do go to the United States, right? And that diversification is a longer term strategy. The QSMA negotiations are now, if the talks fall apart, what is the fallout? So actually, if I could just step back and take a look at your stats there, 85% of trade between Canada and the United States currently fall under the Kuzma. Yes. And so it's the sectoral tariffs and in particular, on steel. aluminum, on auto, on lumber that are of the greatest concern for us while maintaining the

Kusma. The question that you raise is, again, another hypothetical. And as I mentioned, I will provide all information as transparently as possible relating to current Canadian foreign policy. But when your question puts a hypothetical like that in front of me, I don't know what the current circumstances would be at the time that you're referring to. And so I'm focused on diversifying trade, doubling non-U.S. trade over the next 10 years, ensuring we have other options for Canada. And again, I bring this back to the link between domestic and foreign policy, the elimination of internal barriers to trade, the importance of free trade within our country, as well as with new trading partners and alliances.

And here I want to highlight the work that the prime minister and I are doing to bring the EU closer to the CPPPP. Here we have the ability to be an interlocutor and liaison on the international environment to say to each party, there are synergies economically if we bring you together. And I was indeed in a meeting with Prime Minister Carney in South Africa at the G20 when we were seeking to do that. This is a priority for Canada to be strong on the international stage, to bring powers and like-minded countries together to yield economic and defense and security benefits. It's why I'm constantly in touch with the Nordic Five on issues like,

Greenland and Arctic security, as well as to look more broadly at the pragmatism and the leadership that Canada can bring onto the world stage. But I'm sure you have discussed what would happen if the talks fell apart and we wouldn't be kind of exempted under QSMA, right? And just what would that fallout be? How important is it that you keep these negotiations going and some semblance of QSMA? mine place? The work that we are doing, and in particular, I'd like to indicate that Minister LeBlanc is the trade minister who is continually on top of the Canada-U.S.

relationship. He'll be meeting with Ambassador Greer in the very short term to ensure that there is momentum that continues in a positive way for the bilateral relationship. Throughout the United States response and decisions relating to tariffs, the Kuzma, and in particular that 85% that I referred to in the trade relationship has continued. There's a reason for that. There are mutual benefits that are accruing to businesses and individuals on both sides of the border that render it extremely important to keep some sort of trade. infrastructure in play where the benefits are so strong economically for both countries.

And so again, the hypothetical will be addressed if and when we come to it, sorry, if we come to it, I do not think we will. The importance is to maintain the here and now. And that is the work that Minister LeBlanc is doing every day. We know from recent polling that a lot of Canadians felt pretty proud of that speech that Mark Carney gave in Davos. And it felt like Canada being a global leader. And since then, we've seen the Prime Minister talking about brokering a bridge between the EU and the Indo-Pacific trade bloc. It's been framed as like an anti-Trump trade pact, not by your government and the Prime Minister, but certainly by others. Again, he is seeming to take on a kind of international leadership role. But I do wonder, like, when you put yourself out there as a leader, you might also be making yourself a target. And just what are the risks of sticking your neck out in this global environment, you think?

So to bring this back to the beginning of our check, where I talked about principal pragmatism, the world sees Canada as a leader. And this is in terms of numerous issues. proponents of international law, standing for the values that are humane, like international human rights and gender equality and reconciliation and environmental sustainability, to name a few. And the world also sees Canada as a country that can bring others together in a way that Prime Minister Carney evidenced in the Davos speech, and certainly the devil's speech has taken on a life of its own, under which I now refer to it as the Carney Doctrine, because countries are

gravitating towards Canada as they see his and our leadership. That's who Canada is. That's who Canada has always been. We don't want to shy away. In fact, it's the opposite. We still. We still. We still. We step up, we ensure we are present at the table, look at the humanitarian situations in Gaza, where we've put forward $400 million in humanitarian aid, or in Iran where we've sanctioned almost 500 entities and individuals, or in Ukraine, where we've put forward $25 billion in multiple forms of aid and assistance, in Haiti, where we are contributing to regional stability. This is evidence of complex foreign policy where Canada is taking a leadership role, where countries come to us and ask us to work with them because they recognize the leadership that we offer on the international stage. I'll give you an example. Marco Rubio and I spoke numerous times late last year about the situation in Haiti.

He asked Canada and me in numerous conversations to support the United Nations Security Council resolution that they were putting forward on Haiti. And that is completely within Canada's foreign policy historically to do. And we did. And we brought other countries to the table. You're going to see more and more countries contribute their financial resources to wards the prospect of democracy and stability in Haiti. And again, this is who Canada is. And this is why this work internationally is absolutely important, not just for the domestic economy, but also for the leadership role that Canada has occupied and will continue to fulfill on the international stage.

Minister Anand, thank you so much for coming by. I really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Take good care. Right. That is all for today. Front burner was produced this week by Joythe Schengupta, Shannon Higgins, Matthew Almaha, Lauren Donnelly, and McKenzie Cameron. Our intern is Riley Cunningham. Our YouTube producer is John Lee. Our music is by Joseph Shabbison. Our senior producers are Imogen Burchard and Elaine Chow. Our executive producer is Nick McKaybleauk. And I'm J.Bauson. Thanks so much for listening.