Canadian officials have confirmed that there would be no Bhangra dancing during Mark Carney’s visit, and unlike former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he would not visit Punjab.

Trudeau was widely mocked in 2018 for wearing overly elaborate Indian outfits and faced public criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over what was described as tolerance of “anti-India activities,” referring to vocal Sikh separatists living in Canada.

Carney would arrive in Mumbai on Friday for his first official visit to India, aiming to reset the sometimes-fractious Canada-India relationship while seeking new global alliances. Relations between the two countries soured after Trudeau alleged that the Indian government had links to the assassination of a Canadian citizen who was a prominent Sikh separatist—a claim India has repeatedly denied.

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Unlike several previous Canadian leaders, Carney would avoid Punjab, a region with a large Indian diaspora in Canada. Sikh separatists advocating for an independent state could make a visit there politically sensitive.

“Carney has a sense of gravitas and is very strategic,” said Partha Mohanram, a management professor at the University of Toronto. “He’s not going to do a Bhangra dance over there.” However, some Sikh groups in Canada have criticized Carney’s approach. The World Sikh Organisation of Canada stated that his government “has failed to hold India accountable or create safeguards to protect Sikh Canadians from foreign interference and transnational repression.”

Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said that Canada and India have held high-level conversations on criminal activity possibly linked to India. She noted that new measures are in place to track criminal money, digital threats, and surveillance of diaspora communities.

Anand emphasised that Carney’s foreign policy reflects a reordering of global trade relationships, with no country having a pass on Canada’s domestic safety and security.

After India, Carney would visit Australia, where he would address parliament and discuss military, trade, and defense links. On his return to Ottawa, he would meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to explore trade in autos, energy, and critical minerals.

with Reuters inputs