Talks between India and Canada on the next round of trade negotiations are set to open on October 5, with Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu announcing the timeline a day after meeting with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on the margins of the G20 Trade Ministers' Meeting in Milwaukee, as both sides work toward concluding an agreement within the year.

Following the conclusion of a fourth negotiating session held in Mumbai, Sidhu noted in a post on social media that a further meeting with Minister Piyush Goyal took place on the sidelines of the G20, with the next round of talks scheduled to open on 5 October and an agreement targeted for completion before the year draws to a close — developments that coincide with Ottawa's preparation of a trade delegation bound for India later this month.

A concrete timeline for the talks' next phase emerged from the announcement, reflecting both administrations' push to deepen their economic ties.

Sidhu noted that two-way commerce between the two nations currently stands at over $30 billion, with both sides having set a joint target of reaching $70 billion by 2030 — a gap that, in the official's view, points to room for further expansion in trade and investment ties.

At a Milwaukee press briefing, Sidhu indicated that talks were advancing and that the parties involved remained committed to finalising a deal. The aim, Sidhu noted, was not merely to reach any deal but to arrive at terms that would genuinely serve both businesses and workers on each side of the arrangement.

Goyal and Sidhu convened their most recent session against a backdrop of active trade diplomacy tied to the G20 ministerial gathering hosted on American soil. On the margins of the forum, Goyal conducted one-on-one talks with counterparts from multiple countries, aiming to strengthen trade ties while also engaging on the wider pressures weighing on the global trading order.

Trade outreach toward India forms part of Ottawa's broader commercial agenda. Sidhu announced plans to lead a Team Canada Trade Mission to India during the current month, with roughly 300 delegates drawn from businesses across a range of key sectors, aiming to forge connections, identify new customers, and pursue opportunities in one of the world's fastest-growing markets.

The number of companies sending representatives reflects the appetite among Canadian firms for deeper commercial ties with India, separate from the formal trade talks underway between the two governments.

Sidhu pointed to several areas — among them energy, agriculture, technology, and minerals used in advanced manufacturing — where businesses from Canada are pursuing ties with Indian partners, adding that his office is working to support those efforts across sectors where Canada holds a recognised position in global markets.

Scheduled alongside a fresh round of negotiations, the trade mission forms part of a broader effort by Canada to expand its foothold in the Indian market while both nations work to strengthen the movement of investment between them.

Bilateral trade talks and government-to-government exchanges between the two countries are being revived following a period during which diplomatic friction put those channels on hold. Trade negotiations, revived after a period of inactivity, have brought commerce back toward the centre of how the two nations engage with each other — with both governments committing to a $70 billion two-way trade target by 2030 and working toward an accord that would open up market access for businesses on either side.