Roughly 300 business representatives from Canada have arrived in India on a trade visit, with both nations simultaneously pressing ahead toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement they aim to finalise before the close of 2026. Maninder Sidhu, Canada's trade minister, will head the delegation on a circuit through Mumbai and Bengaluru between 12 and 17 October.
Forging commercial ties across a range of industries — among them aerospace, clean technology, life sciences, information and communications technology, and agri-food — stands as the central purpose of the visit. Meetings with policymakers, industry figures, and prospective partners in India form the core of the delegation's agenda, with trade and investment openings the primary focus.
Qualified attendees can expect a schedule built around industry briefings, face-to-face networking with local business figures, targeted visits to relevant sectors, and pre-arranged one-on-one meetings between companies. Seven areas form the core of the mission's attention: aerospace and space exploration, clean technologies alongside the energy transition, information and communications technologies, life sciences, forestry and wood products, and agri-food. The initiative is designed to give Canadian businesses a pathway into the Indian market and operates with eligibility requirements and attendance caps governing certain meetings and site visits.
Broadening trade relationships beyond reliance on a single partner is among the stated aims of the mission. Trade diversification toward India has taken shape as one thread within a wider Indo-Pacific commercial strategy, with both nations working to deepen cross-sector economic links.
Figures from Canada's Global Affairs department put the two nations' combined trade in goods and services at CAD 30.4 billion for 2025, with a shared target of reaching CAD 70 billion by 2030 — roughly 2.3 times the current level. Vegetable shipments, mineral fuels and oils, and wood pulp drove CAD 3.9 billion worth of merchandise flowing from Canada into Indian markets across 2025. Goods flowing into Canada from India — spanning precious stones, metals, machinery, and pharmaceutical products — reached a combined value of CAD 9.7 billion.
According to a trade mission statement released on 9 October, Canadian service exports reached CAD 15.1 billion in 2025, while the value of services flowing into Canada from India stood at CAD 4.3 billion over the same period. Figures drawn from the Canadian government put outbound direct investment into India at CAD 11.4 billion for 2025, with the flow running in the other direction — from India into Canada — landing at CAD 9.7 billion over the same period. Finance and insurance appeared on both sides of the bilateral ledger, with utilities and real estate rounding out the Canadian-side holdings in India, and professional and technical services alongside manufacturing filling out the Indian-side portfolio in Canada.
Bilateral trade discussions between India and Canada are unfolding against the backdrop of ongoing CEPA talks, with both governments working toward concluding that agreement before 2026 draws to a close. A communiqué dated 2 October from Global Affairs Canada placed the fifth round of negotiations on the calendar for the week of 5 through 9 October. Under the draft deal, broader market access, trade flows, and investment provisions would be established, though the exact terms remain subject to what negotiators ultimately agree.
A bilateral meeting between India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and his Canadian counterpart Maninder Sidhu took place in Mumbai in September, with trade agreement progress and avenues for deeper economic cooperation both on the agenda. The ministers renewed pledges to push forward an agreement serving both sides.
Groundwork laid by both governments toward a proposed trade deal is expected to open avenues for Canadian businesses to build commercial ties in India. What negotiators ultimately agree upon will shape both the reach and the timeline of CEPA.
