Canadian trade minister Maninder Sidhu will arrive India on Monday for his second trip to the country in less than a month as the two sides fast-track talks for a trade deal ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to Canada in December.
Canada is keen on bolstering economic relations with countries like India amid its trade tensions with the US. The trade talks have coincided with an improvement in the bilateral relationship, which fell to its lowest level in decades after former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Both sides have worked to repair ties after Carney was elected Prime Minister in 2025.
Sidhu, who will arrive in India with a nearly 300-strong trade mission, is expected to meet commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal during the five-day visit after the fifth round of CEPA negotiations in Canada. Canada’s foreign ministry described it as the largest trade delegation Canada has sent to India in over 30 years. They added that negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are on track to conclude by the end of next month. The people added that political direction may be needed to facilitate the process. The previous round of discussions was held in Ottawa last week. “We are confident we will have a deal soon. Negotiators on both sides have been working hard, led by the respective ministers to finalise details as early as possible. The delegation will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru. It added that the trade mission will include representatives of businesses from Canada’s aerospace and space, clean technologies and energy transition, information and communication technologies, life sciences and agri-food sectors.
People aware of the matter said Indian and Canadian negotiators may meet a couple of times in November to resolve outstanding issues following the latest round of talks. Officials said India has offered the “best deal” possible and is awaiting reciprocity from Canada. Indian high commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik said India has given an excellent offer.
