New Delhi: Canada wants to finish a major trade deal with India by the end of 2026. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said so on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, in an interview with Reuters at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi.
The planned deal is called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA. It is a big part of Ottawa’s plan to sell more goods and services to countries other than the United States. Here is a simple guide to the India Canada trade deal talks and what both sides have said so far.
Table of Contents
India Canada trade deal: the key facts
- Goal: finish CEPA talks by the end of 2026, Anand told Reuters.
- Trade target: Canada says a deal could lift two way goods and services trade to $70 billion a year by 2030, from $30.4 billion in 2025.
- Goods trade in 2025: $10.9 billion. Canadian exports to India fell 26.5 per cent from 2024, while imports from India rose 18.9 per cent, Reuters reported.
- Talks: the fifth round began around 5 October 2026. Indian negotiators visited Canada last week. Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is in India with a business group.
- Possible visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December, Reuters and Canadian reports said.
What did Anita Anand say?
“The Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement with India is part of our trade diversification strategy, and yes, we aim to conclude it by the end of the year,” Anand told Reuters.
She also said Canada wants to double trade that is not with the United States over the next 10 years. “It is really about our national resilience and our sovereignty,” she said. “We need to ensure that we are not reliant on any one country for the economic resilience that our country has been able to exhibit.”
What did India say?
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Anand in New Delhi on Wednesday. The Ministry of External Affairs said both sides appreciated progress towards an “early conclusion” of CEPA talks.
The MEA said the ministers stressed the need to keep high level meetings going and to turn them into clear results. They talked about security and defence, energy, education, science and technology, and people to people links, The Hindu BusinessLine reported, citing the MEA and a Canadian readout.
Anand also met Prime Minister Modi. Modi said they had a productive talk on trade, technology and energy. A day earlier, Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke by phone. Carney’s office said both leaders reaffirmed their aim to finish CEPA talks as soon as possible and to support efforts to double two way trade by 2030.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the fifth round of talks took place in Ottawa about a week ago and that both sides remain committed to a mutually useful CEPA.
Why Canada wants this deal now
Reuters reported that Ottawa is trying to rely less on the United States while Donald Trump’s trade policy stays protectionist. Anand linked the India pact to a wider push that also includes closer work with the European Union on critical minerals, energy and artificial intelligence.
Canada says it already has 15 trade agreements covering 51 countries and about 1.5 billion consumers. It signed a free trade deal with Indonesia last year and is looking at a pact with ASEAN in 2026, Anand said.
Signs of closer economic ties
One recent example is a C$2.6 billion (about $1.8 billion) uranium supply deal between Canadian firm Cameco and India, signed earlier this year, Reuters noted.
Another is Canada’s Fairfax Financial Holdings agreeing to buy a majority stake in IDBI Bank for about Rs 528.78 billion ($5.56 billion). Reuters called this India’s biggest cross border bank deal of its kind.
Large foreign investment stories have been in the news in India this week as well. One example on our site is Hyundai’s plan to invest $15.5 billion in India through 2032. Domestic support for smaller firms is also moving, including the Cabinet approved Rs 10,000 crore SME Growth Fund.
Ties after a difficult period
India and Canada are still rebuilding ties after a diplomatic dispute over the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Anand told Reuters that restoring relations is a gradual process, with national security and the rule of law at the centre.
The Canadian foreign ministry said Anand highlighted how much Canada values India as a partner at a time of global uncertainty. The two ministers also welcomed a recent bilateral security dialogue at the national security adviser level.
What a deal could mean for people
If CEPA is finished, both governments say trade in goods and services could grow a lot by 2030. That could mean more room for Indian exporters, Canadian buyers of Indian goods, and closer work in energy and technology.
People to people links already matter. Many Indian students look at Canada for higher study. Our guide on education consultants in Canada explains how that path works for families planning ahead.
Important details are still missing. Neither side has published the full list of goods and services that would get lower tariffs, or a public draft of the final text. Those are the points to watch as talks continue.
FAQ
What is the India Canada trade deal?
It is a planned Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) meant to lower barriers to trade in goods and services and deepen economic partnership.
When do Canada and India want to finish it?
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Canada aims to conclude it by the end of 2026. India has spoken of an early conclusion.
How big could trade become?
Canada says two way goods and services trade could rise to $70 billion a year by 2030 from $30.4 billion in 2025.
When was this reported?
Anand spoke on 14 October 2026 in New Delhi. Jaishankar and Modi also met her that day.
Sources
- Reuters, 14 October 2026: Anand interview in New Delhi; year end CEPA goal; $70 billion by 2030 target; 2025 trade figures; Sidhu visit; Modi December visit expected; Cameco uranium deal; Fairfax and IDBI; Nijjar context; diversification quotes.
- Yahoo News (Reuters text), 14 October 2026: full Reuters text used for cross check.
- The Hindu BusinessLine (PTI), 15 October 2026: Jaishankar and Anand meeting; MEA statement on early CEPA conclusion; Modi meeting; Carney phone call and double trade by 2030; Jaiswal on fifth round in Ottawa; security dialogue; Team Canada mission.
- Business Today, 15 October 2026: Anand year end goal; negotiators visit and Sidhu delegation.
- The Economic Times, 14 to 15 October 2026: CEPA as diversification tool; non US trade doubling goal; EU summit themes.
- Financial Post / Bloomberg reporting, 14 October 2026: fifth round from 5 October; Modi December visit expectation.