Canada is pushing forward with its efforts to secure a comprehensive trade agreement with India, aiming to boost bilateral trade to C$70 billion by 2030 amid ongoing negotiations on tariffs, market access, and strategic sectors.
Canada is pressing ahead with efforts to secure a trade agreement with India before the end of the year, with international trade minister Maninder Sidhu in Mumbai this week to help drive negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. According to the Canadian government, the aim is to deepen commercial links with Asia’s third-largest economy and lift bilateral trade to C$70 billion by 2030, with clean energy, critical minerals and digital services among the priority sectors.
The fourth round of talks is being watched closely because it marks another step in a process that was relaunched last year after higher-level diplomatic contact between the two countries. Ottawa wants better access for Canadian exporters, lower tariffs and clearer rules for business travel, while also seeking broader cooperation on investment, intellectual property, competition policy, government procurement and regulatory issues.
The negotiations are still running into familiar sensitivities. Canada has already made clear that it will not open its dairy, poultry and egg sectors, even as it pushes for wider market access elsewhere. The talks are expected to cover trade in goods and services, agriculture and agri-food, digital trade, mobility and sustainable development, as both sides try to turn improved political engagement into a more durable economic relationship.
Trade flows remain significant, though the figures differ depending on the source and the measure used. Global Affairs Canada says two-way trade in goods and services reached C$30.4 billion in 2025, including C$13.6 billion in merchandise trade. Indian government data for 2025-26 put bilateral merchandise trade at $7.95 billion, with Indian exports at $4.67 billion and imports at $3.28 billion. The figures underline why both governments are treating the talks as strategically important, even if the path to a deal remains uneven.
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