Overview

• The Ministry of External Affairs said Patnaik, a 1990-batch IFS officer currently serving as ambassador to Spain, will take up the assignment shortly.
• The move comes roughly nine months after India withdrew High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other senior diplomats from Ottawa during a period of sharp tensions.
• Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the two prime ministers agreed to take calibrated steps to stabilize ties, starting with returning high commissioners to each capital.
• Relations deteriorated after then–Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s 2023 killing, an accusation India has denied, with Canadian authorities labeling some Indian diplomats as persons of interest.
• Patnaik brings more than three decades of experience, including postings in Geneva, Dhaka, Beijing and Vienna, with prior service as deputy ambassador to the UK.