New Delhi (Gurpreet Singh) — India and Canada are set to open their fifth round of negotiations for a proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in Ottawa on Monday, accelerating bilateral efforts to finalize the landmark free trade pact before the close of 2026. The five-day session, concluding on October 9, follows the fourth negotiating round wrapped up in New Delhi on September 18, reflecting renewed diplomatic momentum to lower cross-border tariffs, facilitate talent mobility, and stimulate mutual direct investment.
The accelerated schedule arrives amid significant diplomatic groundwork, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney noting last month that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to travel to Canada this December. Trade ties are poised for further expansion as Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu prepares to lead a commercial mission of 300 business leaders to New Delhi later this month, following recent bilateral discussions held in Mumbai with Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
The trade negotiations trace back to initial talks opened in 2015 that saw multiple rounds before pausing, followed by a brief re-engagement in 2022 centered on an Early Progress Trade Agreement. Bilateral diplomatic relations experienced a sharp freeze in 2023 under then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over allegations concerning the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, claims that New Delhi firmly dismissed as unfounded. Formal discussions found new life following a pivotal bilateral exchange between Modi and Carney on the margins of the June 2025 G7 Summit in Kananaskis, leading to an official accord to resume full-scale trade talks in November 2025.
Commercial exchanges between the two nations reached 7.95 billion US dollars during the 2025-26 fiscal year, down 8.23 percent from 8.7 billion US dollars registered in the prior period. Despite the overall contraction, Indian outbound shipments rose 10.63 percent to 4.67 billion US dollars, driven by key items such as pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, marine products, textiles, electronics, and chemicals, while Canadian exports to India contracted to 3.28 billion US dollars across commodities including pulses, gems, coking coal, fertilizers, paper products, and crude petroleum. Beyond goods trade, negotiations remain underpinned by deep people-to-people ties, with Canada hosting approximately 2.9 million people of Indian heritage and more than 427,000 Indian students.
