PM Modi likely to visit Canada in December as India, Canada fast-track trade deal

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December as India and Canada step up efforts to conclude a long-awaited trade agreement by the end of 2026.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Modi would visit Canada around the time of the G20 summit in December. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Carney said negotiations between the two countries were making good progress.

Carney described bilateral ties as important in trade, economic, security and people-to-people areas.

“He will be visiting Canada around that time. I very much look forward to hosting him,” Carney said, referring to Modi.

The proposed visit comes as both countries accelerate negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

India, Canada fast-track CEPA talks

The latest push follows the fourth round of CEPA negotiations, which concluded in Mumbai on September 19.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on September 21 that India and Canada had agreed to fast-track the negotiations. He said the fifth round of talks would begin on October 5.

Goyal described the fourth round, held with Canada's International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, as productive and said both sides had agreed to increase the pace of negotiations.

“The next 90 days should be a very defining period in the Canada-India relationship,” Goyal said.

The two countries have set a target of concluding the CEPA negotiations by the end of 2026.
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What is the proposed trade deal?

The CEPA is expected to cover trade in goods and services, investment and other areas of economic cooperation.

India and Canada had been discussing a comprehensive trade pact for more than a decade. Nine rounds of negotiations were held between 2022 and 2023 before the process was paused amid a deterioration in bilateral relations.

The negotiations gained fresh momentum after Carney's visit to India in March 2026. During the visit, Goyal and Sidhu signed the Terms of Reference for the renewed CEPA negotiations.

The latest round of talks marks the fourth round under the renewed process.

Trade ties between India and Canada

Bilateral trade between the two countries stood at around USD 8 billion in India's financial year 2025-26, according to the Commerce Ministry. India exported goods worth USD 4.67 billion to Canada and imported goods worth USD 3.28 billion during the period.

Canada, meanwhile, has said two-way goods and services trade with India reached $30.4 billion in 2025. It has set an ambition of doubling bilateral trade to $70 billion annually by 2030.

Canada is looking to diversify its trade beyond the US and sees India as an important market. India has identified Canada as a potential source of energy, critical minerals and investment.

The two countries have also announced cooperation in areas including energy, critical minerals, technology, artificial intelligence, talent and defence.
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Modi-Carney meetings and improving ties

The expected December visit would be another step in the improvement of India-Canada relations following a major diplomatic strain in 2023.

Relations deteriorated after the killing of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Then-Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents may have been linked to the killing, a charge rejected by New Delhi.

Carney visited India in March, marking the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2018. Modi and Carney subsequently met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France in June.

During their meeting, the two leaders discussed economic cooperation, including energy and supply chains, as well as defence and security cooperation. Modi also thanked Carney for inviting him to visit Canada in 2026.

With the fifth round of CEPA talks scheduled for October 5, the proposed December visit could coincide with efforts by both sides to finalise and sign the trade agreement.

(With ANI inputs)