India, Canada accelerate CEPA trade deal talks during Goyal’s Ottawa visit

During his three-day visit, Goyal arrived in Canada with more than 100 Indian business representatives in what Canadian officials described as India’s largest-ever business delegation to any country, as New Delhi and Ottawa pushed forward negotiations on a proposed trade agreement.

During his visit, Goyal met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and senior ministers in Ottawa on Monday.

The two sides reviewed progress on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which India and Canada are aiming to finalize this year. The countries have already completed two rounds of negotiations, with the next round set to be hosted by Canada.

In meetings with Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, the ministers discussed cooperation in sectors including aerospace, agri-food, energy and technology, while also exploring opportunities to expand investment and strengthen air connectivity between the two countries.

Piyush Goyal meets Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu. Photo: Piyush Goyal/X

During his visit, Goyal also held talks with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, focusing on trade, investment and technology cooperation as part of the broader India-Canada strategic partnership.

In a post on X after meeting Goyal, Carney described the proposed trade agreement as “a game changer for Canadian workers and businesses,” saying it would open access to a major new market and create opportunities in energy, agri-food, technology and education.

Goyal said he conveyed greetings from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his meeting with Carney and described the discussions as “forward-looking,” with both sides expressing optimism over an early conclusion of the CEPA negotiations.

In a separate post on X following his meeting with Anand, Goyal said the two leaders held “wide-ranging talks” and emphasized the importance of trade, investment and technology linkages for the India-Canada strategic partnership.

He added that India’s expanding infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics and digital sectors offered significant opportunities for deeper collaboration and investments.

Piyush Goyal meets Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. Photo: Piyush Goyal/X

Sidhu said Canada and India were working to deepen economic ties that would create “new opportunities for businesses, workers and exporters,” while aiming to significantly increase bilateral trade by 2030.

India’s commerce ministry said bilateral trade between the two countries stood at about $8 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year, including $4.67 billion in Indian exports and $3.28 billion in imports from Canada. Canadian officials, however, said the two countries are targeting annual bilateral trade of as much as $70 billion by 2030.

The visit marks the latest effort by Ottawa and New Delhi to restore momentum in ties after relations deteriorated in 2023 under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government following Canadian allegations linking Indian agents to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, claims India denied.

Since mid-2025, both governments have resumed structured engagement on trade, investment and security issues, including Carney’s visit to India in March, when CEPA negotiations were formally launched.

Officials from both countries highlighted cooperation in energy security, civil nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and critical minerals as key areas for future growth.

Canada is home to a large Indian diaspora of about 2.8 million people, including Indo-Canadians, non-resident Indians and students, which both governments described as an important bridge between the two nations.