India's Ministry of External Affairs indicated on Friday that a timetable for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned trip to Canada had yet to be finalised, with officials from both countries still working through the scheduling details.
At the ministry's twice-weekly press briefing in New Delhi, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal took questions about media reports pointing to a possible December visit, stating that the schedule had not yet been finalised and that arrangements were still being worked out between the relevant parties.
A phone call between Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday preceded the latest round of diplomatic outreach. Modi described the exchange as cordial and fruitful, underlining the value both nations stand to gain from deepening their strategic ties and sustaining the forward trajectory of the bilateral relationship. Modi also shared on the platform X that the conversation had gone well, describing it as friendly and productive.
An official release from the Canadian Prime Minister's Office described a shared intent to advance the bilateral relationship across areas including trade, energy, technology, security, and people-to-people exchanges, and stated that the two countries are contributing to global stability and prosperity.
Both governments pledged through the release to conclude talks on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement as soon as practicable, with the broader aim of doubling the volume of trade between the two countries before 2030. Talks aimed at broadening trade and investment flows under a CEPA framework are under way between the two nations.
A trade mission to India led by Maninder Sidhu, who holds the international trade portfolio in the Canadian cabinet, was noted in the release, as was a visit to New Delhi by Foreign Minister Anita Anand to advance areas of mutual interest. Around 300 business representatives are set to travel with Sidhu to India under the Team Canada Trade Mission banner, with the group aiming to identify commercial openings across a range of sectors.
Geopolitical instability across the Indo-Pacific featured in the leaders' conversation, alongside a shared interest in securing dependable partnerships covering energy supply and agricultural trade. Carney also expressed appreciation to Modi for the role he has played in pushing toward a negotiated end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Ongoing communication between the two leaders was pledged as Modi's planned trip to Canada draws nearer.
Talks held in New Delhi on Wednesday brought Anand together with Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, with the agenda spanning trade, investment, security, energy, technology, and people-to-people ties between the two nations.
Writing on X after her meeting with Modi, Anand noted that the two countries hold considerable scope to build a more prosperous future by working together. She also referenced the people-to-people connections that have developed across roughly eight decades of formal ties, spanning families, students, and business founders across multiple generations.
Posting separately on X, Anand pointed to progress in trade negotiations and collaborative work spanning energy, innovation, and security, and attributed part of that trajectory to a New Delhi meeting with Jaishankar a year prior, which she described as having been organised to chart a common direction for ties between the two countries. Upon returning, Anand expressed a positive view of advances made across trade talks and deepened collaboration covering energy, innovation, and security matters.
Anand also noted that deeper bilateral ties between Canada and India could advance shared economic goals while supporting a stable and open Indo-Pacific region, in the context of what she described as considerable change in the global order.
