Canada and India Advance Trade Pact and Strategic Partnership
Canada is leading its largest trade mission to India in 30 years to finalize a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and double bilateral trade by 2030.
Canada and India are intensifying diplomatic and economic ties to finalize a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the end of 2026. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation on October 13 to reaffirm their commitment to the pact, which aims to increase bilateral trade from $30.4 billion in 2025 to $70 billion by 2030. This economic push is part of Canada's broader strategy to diversify trade and reduce its reliance on the United States market.
As part of this effort, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu led a historic delegation of nearly 300 business representatives to cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Sidhu met with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to review progress following a fifth round of negotiations held in Ottawa earlier in October. The mission focused on aerospace, clean energy, critical minerals, and nuclear technology, specifically leveraging Canadian uranium and Candu technology to support India's nuclear capacity expansion.
Simultaneously, Foreign Minister Anita Anand visited New Delhi to meet with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Modi. The discussions focused on a Joint Roadmap established in 2025, covering security, defense, and people-to-people ties. Security cooperation has expanded to include a shared work plan to combat transnational organized crime and cybercrime, coordinated by National Security Advisers Ajit Doval and David Morrison.
Prime Minister Modi is tentatively scheduled to visit Canada from December 11-13 to potentially sign the trade agreement. This would mark his first bilateral trip to Canada since a period of severe diplomatic tension following the 2023 killing of a Sikh separatist.
