Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Canada in December, his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney confirmed on Tuesday. The objective will be finalising the comprehensive economic partnership agreement or CEPA.
The Hindustan Times had first reported about the upcoming visit in May when Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal came to the country to take negotiations towards the CEPA.
During the course of a media interaction in New York where he traveled for the United Nations General Assembly on UNGA meet, Carney confirmed the visit is likely to be around the time of the G20 leaders’ summit in Miami this December.
“I very much look forward to hosting him," Carney said of Modi’s December visit. “We're making good progress in our trade negotiations with India," he added. He described the relationship with India as “exceptionally important” on “many, many levels.’ Those include people-to-people ties, security and also the trade and economic partnership.
Modi expected by ‘end of the year’
The two countries are looking to fast-track negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with the fifth round of talks scheduled to begin on October 5. In May, India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Dinesh Patnaik told HT Modi was expected “by the end of the year or by the beginning of next year.”
When the visit occurs, it will be the first standalone bilateral trip by the Indian PM to Canada since April 2015, when Stephen Harpet led Canada. Modi never visited the country during Justin Trudeau’s decade-long tenure at Canada’s PM.
{{/usCountry}}When the visit occurs, it will be the first standalone bilateral trip by the Indian PM to Canada since April 2015, when Stephen Harpet led Canada. Modi never visited the country during Justin Trudeau’s decade-long tenure at Canada’s PM.
{{/usCountry}}Modi did, of course, come to the country in June last year, but that was for the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, to which he was invited by Carney. That invitation and their meeting on the margins of the summit at the Alberta resort spurred the reset in bilateral ties which has evolved into a renewal.
During the bilateral meeting on the margins of the G7 leaders’ summit in Evian, France this June, Modi also spoke of the trip, as he said, “You (Carney) are right in saying that we are very keen on a free trade agreement, and as you have invited me to visit Canada, I will also strive to come this year and complete this agreement before my arrival.”
Carney visited India in late February-early March and the leaders consolidated the renewal in relations with an ambitious joint statement, focused on partnership across multiple sectors.
Four rounds of the CEPA talks have been completed and the fifth is scheduled to begin next month.
‘Two-way trade with India’
After Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu travelled to Mumbai this month, Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, noted, “Trade officials will continue to engage to maintain progress and narrow gaps with the shared objective of concluding negotiations by the end of 2026.
The aim behind the CEPA discussions is “doubling two-way trade with India to CA$70 billion annually by 2030,” GAC stated.
“India's rapid growth and Canada's advantage in energy, critical minerals, aerospace, AI and more mean enormous potential for our businesses and workers. By expanding our trade and investment relationship, we can diversify our exports and unlock new opportunities in one of the world's largest economies,” Sidhu said.
ALSO READ | Iran’s Araghchi meets Trump’s son-in-law, aide Witkoff in New York as US President warns of ‘annihilation’
India-Canada trade talks
Piyush Goyal on Monday said that he concluded the fourth round of negotiations with Canadian international trade minister Maninder Sidhu in Mumbai.
“Very productive discussions and both sides have resolved to fast-track negotiations,” Goyal said, adding that the next 90 days would be a “very defining period” for India-Canada relations.
Investment protection pact by the end of 2026?
The trade negotiations are also being accompanied by efforts to strengthen investment ties. In August, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India and Canada could complete an investment protection agreement by the end of 2026.
ALSO READ | India, Canada could sign investment protection pact by end of year: Sitharaman
During her visit to Toronto, Sitharaman said the two countries would “try to finish the investor protection agreement by the end of this year”. The timeline would depend on discussions with her Canadian counterpart Francois-Philippe Champagne, she added.
Sitharaman said India “moved ahead in having a very open-minded, progressive approach towards investment protection” and added that “financial investment protection” was a “very important subject” for New Delhi.
“I believe India and Canada are the most natural partners in the world,” she said.
India-Canada ties improve
The renewed trade push comes after a period of diplomatic strain between the two countries during the tenure of former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
The two countries resumed trade talks in 2025 and later launched a fresh CEPA process. Modi and Carney also met during Carney’s visit to India in March 2026. The two leaders agreed to speed up trade talks and strengthen cooperation in areas such as energy, technology, artificial intelligence, defence and talent.