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India and Indo-Pacific region key to Canada’s trade resilience: Sidhu
Canada's trade minister Sidhu aims to strengthen ties with India, planning a visit from Indian commerce minister Goyal, as both nations seek to boost trade.
As he completed a bilateral visit to India, Canada’s minister of international trade Maninder Sidhu said the intent was to maintain the “energy” that is currently present in the relationship. As part of the objective of keeping the momentum alive, his Indian counterpart, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal, will visit Canada along with a trade delegation early in the new year.
Speaking to Canadian media prior to his departure from India on Friday, Sidhu said the objective of his visit was “working on strengthening trade and investment ties.”
“The reason is simple: We believe that India and the Indo-Pacific region is key to reaching the goal Prime Minister Carney has set for Canada, hitting CA$ 300 billion of non-US exports in the next ten years,” he said.
He stressed, “Canada understands that being present and meeting face to face is critical for building lasting trade and investment partnerships.”
Sidhu arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday, and his engagements included a meeting with petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri, and attending the CII Partnership Summit in Vishakhapatnam.
He visited India at Goyal’s invitation and they participated in the Ministerial Dialogue on Trade and Investment, the first such meeting since May 2025 when the commerce minister had travelled to Canada.
Sidhu said he looked forward to welcoming Goyal and an Indian trade delegation to Canada “early next year.”
“In 2024, bilateral trade with India surpassed CA$ 30 billion, making India Canada’s third-largest trading partner in the Indo-Pacific, with much more room to grow,” Sidhu said. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has emphasised diversification from the country’s dependence on the United States after the administration of US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs early this year.
India is part of the equation to make the transition from “reliance to resilience,” Sidhu said, adding, “Canada can provide the good and services they need to power their growth.”
Among the sectors the two countries are looking at focusing on for collaboration are clean tech, agriculture and aerospace, among others. Alluding to his meeting with Puri, Sidhu said, “India will need 70% more energy by 2040 and Canada is well-positioned as a reliable and stable partner which can help India achieve its growth targets with clean energy such as LNG and nuclear.”
At the CII Summit, he “spoke about the advantages of doing business with Canada and how Canada and India can create more opportunities together.” He also met with Indian companies, including the Jubilant Bhartia group, HCL and the Tatas, that have a presence in Canada and want to expand.
Restarting negotiations towards a trade deal is not imminent, as Sidhu said his visit was in the nature of “scoping”. “I really see what’s next, the path forward,” he said.
Sidhu’s visit was the latest contact at the ministerial level this year, after the breakthrough meeting between Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the margins of the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, in June this year. Canada’s minister of foreign affairs Anita Anand visited India in October and external affairs minister S Jaishankar just completed his visit to the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in the Niagara region, to which he had been invited by his counterpart, who described India as an “important partner.”
Relations between the two countries cratered in 2023 when then Canadian PM Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons on September 18 that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, three months earlier. India dismissed those accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.”
After assuming charge as prime minister in March this year, Carney has gradually worked to repair and reset the relationship, leading to the recent flurry of engagements.
Sidhu was asked about certain groups opposing Canada’s engagement with India. He pointed to Ottawa’s focus on the security of Canadians and the ongoing security dialogue between Canadian and Indian agencies, and added, “My job is to continue the economic dialogue.”
