Carney to Visit India in 2026 for Major Trade Talks

The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, has finally given his formal consent to the invitation of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, to visit India in the first quarter of 2026, which has been a pretty good diplomatic reset and a new era of cooperation. The visit of the prime minister comes at the time of both countries’ being involved in the negotiations for a high-ambition Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which expects to double bilateral trade to $50 billion USD (CAD 70 billion) by 2030. The trip will take place along with the Global AI Summit in New Delhi, thereby making technology, energy, and supply chain dealings the very heart of discussions on trade. This re-engagement is a good indicator of the relationship between India and Canada as it indicates the previous tensions have melted to a large extent and the collaboration is already a broad area with consensus in the forming of the future.

A New Bilateral Momentum: What’s Changing

The visit of Carney stands out as a change of direction: the high-level meetings on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg and the ministerial exchanges taking place have created a favorable ground where dreams of the deal covering goods, services, investment, agriculture, digital trade, and sustainable development can be realized.
The leadership of Canada has vowed to move away from Khalistani elements and make the relations with India clear and stable, dealing with the main worries of both parties.
The two governments are planning to create a strong link between the people through the increase of diplomatic staff, consular services, and knowledge exchange, thus mutual educational and business networks are getting stronger.

Sectors Targeted for Growth

The main areas of collaboration are Energy, Critical minerals, Clean technology, and Advanced Manufacturing, as India is producing more and more STEM graduates and Canada has expertise in innovation that can be shared.
The closer ties in civil nuclear, space, and defense are a result of the move of negotiations into more complex areas which are already being developed.

Stakeholder Comments

PM Modi: “Had an extremely productive meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney … We consented to move our relationships forward, especially in the areas of trade, investment, technology and innovation, energy and education.”
Carney: “India is the fifth largest economy in the world, and that opens up great opportunities for hitherto Canadian workers and companies.”
Business Council of Canada: “The emphasis now has to be on putting into practice and making sure that these lofty political commitments do actually translate into economic gains for both countries.”