Scheduling details for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's proposed trip to Canada remain under discussion between the two governments, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed Thursday, with the two countries also working to broaden ties spanning trade, energy, technology, and security.

At the MEA's twice-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal did not offer confirmation of media reports pointing to a possible December visit. On the question of whether a timetable had been locked in, he indicated that both parties were still working through the dates.

A phone call between Prime Minister Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney earlier in the week laid the groundwork for a visit now anticipated to take place. Across the telephone exchange, the two leaders took stock of where bilateral ties now stand and expressed a shared intention to continue building on progress made over recent months. Posting to X, Modi characterised the exchange as both cordial and fruitful.

Both leaders, according to the statement, reached an understanding to pursue tangible results within the framework of the India-Canada Strategic Partnership, spanning trade, energy, technology, security, and people-to-people connections. Bilateral cooperation between India and Canada on building a more stable and prosperous world was among the points Modi put forward, with both nations shown to place considerable value on deepening their diplomatic and economic ties.

A statement from the Prime Minister's Office noted that both leaders pledged to push forward on concluding a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement as soon as conditions allow. Under the draft accord, commerce and investment flows between the two nations could broaden, with officials framing the arrangement as a foundation for the countries' refreshed diplomatic ties. Both parties put forward pledges to grow two-way trade to a substantially higher volume by 2030.

Talks have centred on broadening the terms under which goods and capital move between the parties, while drawing in areas ranging from energy supply and critical minerals through to aerospace, artificial intelligence, and agricultural trade.

Both the Team Canada Trade Mission to India — headed by International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu — and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand's separate visit to New Delhi were welcomed by the assembled leaders, who framed each engagement as a step toward goals the two countries hold in common. The two leaders also touched on shifts in the geopolitical landscape across the Indo-Pacific, weaving those concerns into the broader fabric of their talks.

Reliable alliances across domains such as energy supply and food production were put forward as a stabilising force at a time when worldwide conditions remain unsettled. Carney also put on record his appreciation for Prime Minister Modi's role in pushing for a negotiated end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides committed to keeping communication open as Modi's trip to Canada takes shape.

Anita Anand held talks with Prime Minister Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during a visit to New Delhi earlier in the week. Talks between the parties ranged across a broad set of shared priorities — from trade and investment to security arrangements, energy, technology, and the movement of people between their societies.

Following talks with the Prime Minister, Anand expressed the view that both nations hold considerable untapped capacity to build a more prosperous path forward together. The talks, she indicated, revolved around broadening cooperative ties and opening pathways across trade, investment, and security.

Pointing to roughly eight decades of formal diplomatic contact between the two countries, Anand drew attention to the human dimension of that relationship — one built up across successive generations through family bonds, academic exchange, and entrepreneurial activity. A separate statement from her referenced an earlier encounter with Jaishankar in New Delhi roughly a year prior, noting that the two sides had laid out a framework for guiding their bilateral ties going forward.

Progress across trade talks and cooperation in energy, innovation, and security left Anand with a positive outlook on developments since that point. Deepening ties between India and Canada, Anand argued, would position both nations to play a constructive role in shaping a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific region at a moment when the broader international order is in flux.

Heading up a contingent of roughly 300 business representatives, Sidhu is travelling to India as part of the Team Canada Trade Mission. Across a range of sectors, the delegation has been looking into commercial prospects, with those talks anticipated to deepen trade and investment ties between the two nations. Talks aimed at moving the proposed CEPA forward are at the heart of the visit, with officials on both sides treating the agreement as a vehicle for deepening economic ties and opening doors for businesses and investors across the two countries.