New Delhi: Major trade agreement between India and Canada is coming to an end and PM Modi will be coming to Canada in December to aid in its finalization. The top diplomat in India, Canada’s High Commissioner Christopher Cooter, has shared this plan, by saying he is optimistic that the deal will going to be ready by the end of 2026.
The trade deal is been called as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). It is also intended to facilitate the trade and commerce between the two countries. The trade volume between India and Canada is approximately $8 billion per year, at present. Both sides would like to increase that number significantly to about $70 billion per year by 2030.
This deal began again in March 2026 when PM of Canada, Mark Carney, visited India. On that visit, Modi and Carney discussed the outline of the deal and signed several other accords as well one of which was a nuclear energy accord. As part of that agreement, Canada agreed to provide India with uranium for several years to come.
This budding friendship follows some bad days. Ties between the two countries were frosty in 2023 when Canada’s former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had indicted the Indian government for the murder of an Indian separatist leader in Canada. India vehemently rejected this, and there was tension for a long time.
Since then, however, the situation has improved in Canada as Carney took up the job of leader of Canada. He has seen Modi four times in the past year, at both the G7 and G20 summits, and in his attempts to restore trust, he has also sought to enhance Canada’s trade links beyond the U.S.
But assuming Modi’s visit takes place in December would be good indication of both countries being prepared to address issues of the past and collaborate. Both sides claim that completion of the trade deal would provide numerous avenues for business and investment opportunities and jobs in both states.
There are no official dates set, but officials from both sides state that talks are progressing rapidly as they count on completing the deal before the end of the year.
