India is exploring the possibility of having Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations next year against the backdrop of hectic efforts by the two countries to finalise a trade deal by the year-end, people familiar with the matter said.
The choice of the chief guest for the event on January 26 is determined by a combination of strategic, diplomatic and economic factors, and also signals the strength of bilateral relations. India and Canada have focused on enhancing economic ties and efforts to bolster multilateralism since Carney became PM last year and took steps to repair relations that hit their lowest point under his predecessor Justin Trudeau.
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Economic partnership agreement
PM Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December, alongside trips to Belgium and the US, the people said. The trip to Ottawa is likely to coincide with the conclusion of negotiations on the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA). If it goes ahead, this will be the first bilateral visit to Canada by an Indian PM in a decade, since Modi’s trip in spring 2016, when Stephen Harper was Canada’s PM.
The move to consider Carney as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations is still at a very early stage and the invitation will likely be contingent on the two sides successfully negotiating the CEPA by December, the people said.
{{/usCountry}}The move to consider Carney as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations is still at a very early stage and the invitation will likely be contingent on the two sides successfully negotiating the CEPA by December, the people said.
{{/usCountry}}Four rounds of negotiations for CEPA have concluded and the fifth is currently underway, with an Indian team in Ottawa since October 5. Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand and trade minister Maninder Sidhu are expected to visit India in mid-October to drive forward the trade negotiations.
Carney was in India in March this year, with his visit seen as a signal regarding Canada’s desire to bolster ties with India at a time when his country is grappling with a widening trade war with the Trump administration in the US. During his visit, the two sides concluded agreements on critical minerals and the supply of uranium ore from Canada, and explored ways to expand trade from the current level of about $33 billion to $50 billion by 2030.
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Carney and Modi also met on the margins of the G7 Summit in France this summer.
The renewal of relations began when Carney invited Modi to the outreach session of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis in June 2025. That resulted in the two sides restoring high commissioners in the two capitals.