OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — A recent trip to India by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has paved the way for a comprehensive renewal of Canada-India diplomatic ties, India’s trade minister announced on Monday. Relations had been strained under Carney’s predecessor following the 2023 assassination of a Sikh activist in Canada.
These comments were made by India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, currently visiting Canada, during a meeting with Canada’s International Trade Minister, and shortly before his scheduled encounter with Carney.
“We are actively negotiating a free trade agreement with India. This initiative is set to revolutionize prospects for Canadian workers and businesses by opening up a vast new market,” Carney stated in a social media update.
He added, “Our progress is swift — I held discussions with Minister @PiyushGoyal to assess our advancements and explore upcoming opportunities for both nations across sectors such as energy, agri-food, technology, and education.”
Goyal was accompanied by over 100 senior business representatives from India’s mining, energy, automotive, and aerospace industries, a contingent New Delhi has described as its largest-ever business delegation to Canada.
“This partnership is being revitalized at an exceptionally rapid pace,” Goyal remarked on Monday.
He further noted that Carney’s visit in late February — the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years — “fundamentally altered the perception Canada and India held of each other.”
“It has initiated the process for a complete re-evaluation of this relationship, establishing new agendas and objectives,” he elaborated.
Negotiations for a trade agreement between Canada and India have been ongoing since 2010. Talks were suspended by Ottawa in 2023 after Canadian authorities implicated India in the killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver in June of that year.
New Delhi vehemently refuted these accusations and accused the former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration of harboring Sikh extremists associated with the Khalistan movement. This movement, which seeks to establish an independent Sikh homeland, is proscribed in India.
Prior to his meeting with Sidhu, Goyal indicated that both countries are committed to finalizing a free trade agreement this year.
During his visit to India, Carney met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, resulting in the signing of several agreements — including a CAD 2.6 billion (USD 1.9 billion) deal to supply approximately 22 million pounds (10 million kilograms) of uranium to India for nuclear power generation.
A Canadian delegation visited New Delhi for trade discussions earlier this month, and another Indian delegation is expected to return to Canada later this year to continue these talks.
Goyal also mentioned that both nations are working towards tripling their trade volume to USD 50 billion by 2030.
In Ottawa, Goyal engaged with Carney and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand. He is also slated to meet with CEOs of leading companies, startups, and pension funds.
Vina Nadjibulla, Vice President of Research and Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, commented that both countries are keen to diversify their international relationships and decrease their reliance on the United States, which some partners increasingly view as unreliable.
India has recently concluded trade agreements with the European Union, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
“India is now redirecting its focus towards Europe, as well as other Western economies like Australia and Canada, to secure its requirements for capital, technology, and innovation,” Nadjibulla clarified.
