Canadian minister Sidhu to arrive in India as two sides fast-track trade talks

The two sides fast-tracked talks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected visit to Canada in December

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.

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. 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.

Officials said India has offered the “best deal” possible and is awaiting reciprocity from Canada. The previous round of discussions was held in Ottawa last week.

Indian high commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik said India has given an excellent offer. “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.”

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. The delegation will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Canada’s foreign ministry described it as the largest trade delegation Canada has sent to India in over 30 years. 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.

Modi and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, have set a December deadline for concluding negotiations. Carney has made the trade deal with India a priority, as part of his objective to diversify away from reliance on the US.

Modi is expected to travel to the US, Canada and Belgium around mid-December. He is set to attend the G20 Summit in the US. Modi is expected to visit Canada and Belgium to push trade ties. The India-EU free trade agreement is expected to be signed during his Belgium visit.

India and Canada have been working overtime to finalise the trade deal before December. They are aiming to raise two-way trade to $70 billion by 2030. Bilateral goods and services trade between India and Canada in 2025 was $30.4 billion, with merchandise trade contributing $13.6 billion.

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. Canada is keen on bolstering economic relations with countries like India amid its trade tensions with the US.

India and Canada launched the CEPA negotiations in New Delhi on March 2 after Goyal and Sidhu signed the terms of reference in the presence of Modi and Carney. The negotiations have moved swiftly since then. The first round of virtual talks was held in March 2026.

India is expected to purchase energy from Canada. Canada exports goods such as vegetables, mineral fuels and oils, and wood pulp to India worth $3.9 billion. It imports Indian merchandise worth $9.7 billion, including precious stones, metals, machinery, and pharmaceuticals.

Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American issues, and an author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York spanning print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb.Read More