Canada's Mark Carney arrives in India to reset ties, boost economic partnership

Accompanied by his wife, Diana Fox Carney, the Canadian prime minister is visiting India from February 27 to March 2 in his first trip to the country since assuming office.

Shortly after landing, Carney described India as, “the world’s fastest-growing major economy” on X and said he intended to meet business leaders to “forge partnerships that will unlock new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses".

According to a statememt, during his Mumbai stay, Carney is scheduled to participate in business engagements and interact with Indian and Canadian CEOs, financial leaders, innovators, educators and representatives of Canadian pension funds operating in India. 

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the two sides will review cooperation across key sectors including trade and investment, energy, critical minerals, agriculture, education, research and innovation, and people-to-people exchanges.

Negotiations on a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), aimed at more than doubling bilateral trade, are expected to gather pace, The Economic Times reported.

Carney is set to travel to New Delhi on March 1. On March 2, he will hold delegation-level talks with apm PM Modi at Hyderabad House.

The two leaders will review progress under the India–Canada Strategic Partnership, building on their earlier meetings in Kananaskis in June 2025 and Johannesburg in November 2025.

Later that day, Modi and Carney will attend the India–Canada CEOs Forum.

The visit comes at a crucial juncture in the normalisation of India–Canada relations.

Canadian officials have reassessed earlier security concerns and indicated that India is no longer viewed as linked to violent threats on Canadian soil, a shift that removes a significant obstacle to deeper engagement, The Times of India reported.

Photo: Narendra Modi/X

Foreign policy experts say Carney’s outreach reflects Canada’s broader strategy to diversify trade beyond the United States and strengthen partnerships across the Indo-Pacific, as evidenced by his planned visits to Australia and Japan following India, according to Reuters.

Both governments have previously agreed to pursue a “constructive and balanced partnership” grounded in mutual respect, strong people-to-people ties and expanding economic complementarities.

The upcoming talks are expected to reaffirm that commitment and provide momentum for a forward-looking bilateral relationship.