Photo: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)/Sarah Friend / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Canada is sending two senior ministers to India next week, Foreign Minister Anita Anand and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, in a visit aimed at pushing a long-discussed trade agreement over the line and preparing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expected trip to Canada in December, officials said on Saturday. Both ministers are of Indian origin.
According to officials, Anand is expected to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while Sidhu will meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Sources said there was a “strong possibility” that the two would also call on Prime Minister Modi.
Largest trade delegation in three decades
Sidhu will lead the Team Canada Trade Mission to India from October 12 to 17, with stops in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The Canadian government said nearly 300 delegates would take part, calling it the largest trade delegation the country has sent to India in more than 30 years.
The businesses travelling with him come from sectors including aerospace and space, clean technology and energy transition, information and communication technology, life sciences and agri-food. Ottawa said the delegates would meet Indian decision-makers, industry leaders and potential clients to build partnerships that create jobs in Canada.
By matching Canadian expertise in sectors like aerospace, agri-food and clean technology with India’s growing demand, we will diversify our trade and attract new investment.
Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade
Why it matters
The two countries want to conclude a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the end of this year. They set a target of raising two-way trade to 70 billion Canadian dollars (around ₹4.75 lakh crore) a year by 2030, more than double current levels, when Prime Minister Mark Carney visited India in March 2026.
For Canada, the push is part of a wider effort to sell more to markets other than the United States, its dominant trading partner. Ottawa has said it wants to double exports to non-US markets over the next decade. The Canadian government describes the current phase as a reset in ties that began when Carney and Modi met at the G7 summit in Kananaskis and was reinforced by Carney’s visit to India.
Sidhu and Goyal already met on October 1 on the sidelines of a G20 trade ministers’ meeting in Milwaukee in the US, where they reviewed progress in the negotiations.
What comes next
Officials said Modi is expected to travel to Canada in December, shortly before a likely visit to the United States for the G20 leaders’ summit, which is due to be held on December 14 and 15 in Doral, Florida.
If talks go according to plan, sources said, New Delhi could invite Carney as chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2027. No formal announcement on either the invitation or the trade deal has been made so far.
