Canada and India Focus on Strengthening Trade Ties Amid High-Level Engagements:

Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, concluded a bilateral visit to India this week, emphasizing the need to sustain the “energy” currently present in the two countries’ relationship. The visit, aimed at bolstering trade and investment, sets the stage for Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal to visit Canada with a trade delegation early next year. Speaking to Canadian media before departing India on Friday, Sidhu highlighted the objective of his visit: “Working on strengthening trade and investment ties.” He added that India and the broader Indo-Pacific region are key to achieving Canada’s ambitious goal of CA$ 300 billion in non-U.S. exports over the next decade, a target set by Prime Minister Mark Carney. “Canada understands that being present and meeting face to face is critical for building lasting trade and investment partnerships,” Sidhu said. Sidhu arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday and engaged in several high-profile meetings, including with India’s Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and participation at the CII Partnership Summit in Vishakhapatnam. The visit, extended at Goyal’s invitation, included the first Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment since May 2025, when the Indian minister had traveled to Canada. Sidhu expressed anticipation of welcoming Goyal and his trade delegation to Canada in the new year. Bilateral trade between the two nations exceeded CA$ 30 billion in 2024, making India Canada’s third-largest trading partner in the Indo-Pacific, with significant potential for growth, Sidhu noted. The Canadian government has prioritized diversifying trade beyond the United States, following tariff measures imposed by the Trump administration earlier this year. “India is a key part of Canada’s transition from reliance to resilience,” Sidhu said, adding that Canada can supply the goods and services India needs to fuel its growth. Areas of focus for collaboration include clean technology, agriculture, and aerospace. Highlighting energy cooperation, Sidhu said India will require 70% more energy by 2040. Canada, he added, is well-positioned as a reliable partner to support India’s growth with clean energy solutions, including LNG and nuclear power. At the CII Summit, he promoted the benefits of doing business with Canada and explored ways to create further opportunities. Sidhu also met with Indian companies with a presence in Canada, such as the Jubilant Bhartia Group, HCL, and Tata Group, who are looking to expand. While the visit did not mark the resumption of formal trade deal negotiations, Sidhu described it as a “scoping” exercise to assess the next steps and potential pathways forward. The visit follows a series of high-level contacts this year, beginning with Prime Minister Carney’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand visited India in October, and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar recently attended a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Canada. Carney, who assumed office in March, has been gradually working to repair and reset bilateral ties after relations hit a low point in 2023. The previous strain arose after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” linking Indian agents to the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. India dismissed the accusations as “absurd” and politically motivated. Addressing concerns from groups opposing Canada’s engagement with India, Sidhu emphasized Ottawa’s focus on the safety of Canadians, as well as ongoing security dialogues between Canadian and Indian agencies. “My job is to continue the economic dialogue,” he said, underscoring the focus on trade and investment.

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