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Canadian province of Manitoba to establish trade presence in India
Major Canadian provinces already have trade representation in India, including Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan
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Toronto: The western Canadian province of Manitoba has announced that it is establishing a trade presence in India, joining several others who already have a base in the country.
Manitoba’s Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses announced that appointing Nueconomy Strategy Consulting “to support Manitoba businesses pursuing opportunities in India”.
Major Canadian provinces already have trade representation in India, including Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“In the face of continued threats and disruptions to trade, our government recognises this partnership with Nueconomy will help us diversify and expand export opportunities for Manitoba businesses,” Moses said, adding, “Their experience in the region will help identify business opportunities, support market entry and connect Manitoba companies with potential partners, buyers and investors.”
Based in India, Neuconomy specialises in trade development, investment attraction and location-assessment services. Its director Kavan Bhandary said, “We understand this part of the world and how to position Manitoba effectively within it by opening doors for Manitoba’s exporters, attracting investment into priority sectors, and building the long-term relationships that will underpin real economic growth.”
Chuck Davidson, president and CEO, Manitoba Chambers of Commerce welcomed the move, as he said, “India is one of the fastest-growing economies around the world, so this represents an amazing opportunity for Manitoba businesses to expand our presence in a vital market.”
Earlier, the minister had said that India’s rapidly expanding middle class and growing consumer market were driving increased demand for high-quality goods and services, making it a key opportunity for the province’s exporters and an increasingly important priority market.
Hemant Shah, a veteran engaged in the trade corridor for decades, said this was “very good initiative” on part of the province. Shah, who is based in the provincial capital of Winnipeg, said Manitoba maintained a trade office in India prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. “This is good news for Manitoba and its manufacturers, that it will be part of the Canada-India re-engagement,” Shah felt.
Trade minister to visit India in October
The announcement came as Canada moves to strengthen its trading relationship with India. Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu will lead a business delegation from the country to India next month. Negotiations are currently in progress towards a comprehensive economic partnership agreement or CEPA between the two countries.
Sidhu called on the country’s businesses to join Team Canada Trade Mission to India which is scheduled from October 12 to 16.
“India is one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, and Canadian businesses have a real opportunity to grow alongside it,” he said, in a statement in July.
With Canada-India bilateral trade is currently over CA$31 billion (US$22.41 billion), the intent of CEPA is the double that figure by 2030.
That fresh negotiations towards the CEPA will take place was announced when Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Mark Carney met on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2025. They were officially launched when Carney, on his maiden visit to India as PM, held a bilateral with Modi in New Delhi this March.
The two PMs have set a deadline of the end of the year for concluding the negotiations.
Both leaders said they want talks to conclude by the time the G20 Leaders’ Summit is held in Miami in December. Modi added in Evian that he will try and visit Canada before the end of this year.
