Canada Trade Minister Pitches Country as ‘Reliable Partner’ for India

Canada is positioning itself as a “trusted and reliable long-term economic partner” for India as Ottawa and New Delhi accelerate efforts to conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) by the end of the year.

Canada’s International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu made the remarks after meeting India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on the sidelines of the G20 Trade Ministers’ gathering in Milwaukee on Thursday, Global Affairs Canada said on Friday.

The meeting came as Canada prepares to send its largest-ever trade delegation to India.

Nearly 300 Canadian Businesses to Visit India

Sidhu will lead the Team Canada Trade Mission to India from October 12 to 16, with nearly 300 delegates from Canadian businesses expected to participate. The delegation will focus on developing business partnerships, finding new customers and exploring investment and commercial opportunities across key sectors of the Indian economy.

The mission was announced in July and will be Canada’s biggest-ever trade mission to India, on a scale comparable to the delegation Sidhu led to Japan earlier this year.

The Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) is supporting the mission.

C-IBC president and CEO Victor Thomas said the visit reflected the “strength and promise” of bilateral ties and argued that trade and investment between the two countries had significant room for expansion.

“This is not the finish line. It’s the starting line,” Thomas said.

• CEPA Negotiations Continue
• Trade talks were also central to Sidhu’s meeting with Goyal.

The two countries completed the fourth round of negotiations on the proposed CEPA during Sidhu’s visit to Mumbai in September. The fifth round is scheduled from October 5 to 9.

Global Affairs Canada said the ministers discussed ways to advance bilateral trade and investment priorities following their meeting in Mumbai. Sidhu stressed the importance of working towards a mutually beneficial agreement before the end of the year.

The latest round of negotiations is expected to involve senior government officials, including secretary-level participation.

Modi, Carney Set Year-End Deadline

The decision to restart CEPA negotiations followed a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg in November 2025.

Formal negotiations were launched during Carney’s first visit to India as prime minister in March, when he met Modi in New Delhi.

The two leaders met again in June at the G7 summit in Evian, France, where they welcomed the progress made in the trade negotiations and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership.

Modi and Carney have set the end of 2026 as the target for concluding the CEPA talks, with both leaders expressing an ambition to complete the agreement ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Miami in December.

Modi had also said he would seek to visit Canada before the end of the year. Such a visit would be the first by an Indian prime minister to Canada in 10 years and could coincide with the signing of the trade agreement if negotiations are completed as planned.

The upcoming trade mission and the next round of negotiations underline the renewed focus on expanding commercial ties between India and Canada.