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India not on first list of countries to get new Canadian High Commissioner
After a spat in bilateral relations late last year, both India and Canada had downsized their diplomatic corps.
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Prabhjot Paul Singh - Thu, 10, Jul 2025
- 00:24 EDT
- 86
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to the G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta, last month. / Reuters
India did not figure in the list of countries where the new Liberal Government, headed by Mark Carney, announced the appointment of its new ambassadors and high commissioners.
After a spat in bilateral relations late last year, both India and Canada had downsized their diplomatic corps.
Early this month, when Canada’s new Foreign Minister Anta Indira Anand embarked upon a tour of Japan and Malaysia, she announced a series of diplomatic appointments. The Liberal Government announced new ambassadors and high commissioners to more than 20 countries, including some in Asia and Africa, but India was missing from the list.
Late last month, when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to the G7 leaders’ summit in Alberta, an announcement was made that the two countries have decided to restore high commissioners in New Delhi and Ottawa.
Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced the new appointments. Expectations were that India would be given a priority after the prime ministers of India and Canada met on the sidelines of the G7 Alberta summit. Both India and Canada have been without high commissioners for more than six months now.
The new list interestingly carries the name of the new Canadian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Tarik Khan, a career diplomat. Also, Sri Lanka gets a new Canadian High Commissioner in Isabella Martin.
Anita Anand had announced the following diplomatic appointments:
- Alexandre Bilodeau will become Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Tunisia. He will replace Lorraine Diguer. Anderson Blanc will be the new High Commissioner to the Republic of Mozambique, replacing Sara Nicholls.
- Natalie Britton will, after replacing Tara Scheurwater, become the new Consul General in Istanbul (Republic of Türkiye).
- Sandra Choufani will be the ambassador to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. She will replace Anderson Blanc.
- Christian DesRoches will be the new ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia. He will replace Ping Kitnikone.
- Ambra Dickie will replace Vicky Singmin to become Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta.
- Stephen Doust has been named Ambassador to Mongolia. Mr. Doust will replace Sandra Choufani. The new ambassador to Lebanon will be Gregory Galligan.
- Alison Grant will become Ambassador to the Republic of Austria and Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna.
- Marie-Claude Harvey will become High Commissioner in the Republic of Cameroon.
- Patrick Hébert will become Ambassador to the Republic of Finland.
- Jean-Dominique Ieraci will become Ambassador to the Republic of Peru.
- Tarik Khan will become High Commissioner in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
- Craig Kowalik will become Ambassador to the Republic of Ecuador.
- Philippe Lafortune will become Ambassador to the Republic of Korea.
- Jean-Paul Lemieux will become Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation.
- Isabelle Martin will become High Commissioner in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
- Karim Morcos will become Ambassador to the State of Qatar.
- James Nickel will become Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
- Tara Scheurwater will become Ambassador to the State of Kuwait.
- Nicolas Simard will become Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
- Joshua Tabah will become High Commissioner in the Republic of Kenya and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme and to the United Nations Environment Programme.
- Kent Vachon will become Ambassador to the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.
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