India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney.  File Photo | AP
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Canada PM Carney's India visit aims to reset ties, fast-track trade push

Carney’s India stop is part of a three-nation visit that includes meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Jayanth Jacob

NEW DELHI: In a push to expand trade, energy and defence partnerships with key regional allies, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to India as part of a broader Indo-Pacific tour that also includes Australia and Japan.

It is learnt that he will arrive in New Delhi on March 1 and is likely to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2.

The discussions are expected to focus on elevating and expanding the Canada–India relationship through ambitious new partnerships in trade, clean energy, technology and artificial intelligence, talent mobility, culture and defence cooperation. Ottawa described India as one of Canada’s strongest Indo-Pacific partners, underlining that deepening ties in the region is critical to Canada’s long-term security and prosperity.

“Prime Minister Carney will first visit Mumbai, then New Delhi, India, where he will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders will focus on elevating and expanding the Canada-India relationship, with ambitious new partnerships in trade, energy, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), talent and culture, and defence. He will meet with business leaders to identify investment opportunities in Canada and create new partnerships between businesses in both nations,” a Canadian government release said.

Carney’s India stop is part of a three-nation visit that includes meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The trip is aimed at unlocking new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses across high-growth sectors, while reinforcing strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.

Trade is expected to feature prominently in Carney’s talks with Modi. In 2024, India ranked as Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner in goods and services, with two-way trade valued at $30.8 billion. At the 2025 G20 Leaders' Summit, the two countries agreed to formally launch negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, with the goal of more than doubling bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030.

With both governments seeking to diversify supply chains and accelerate collaboration in emerging technologies, Carney’s visit signals a renewed effort to stabilise and scale up economic engagement. Business roundtables in Mumbai and high-level political talks in New Delhi are expected to lay the groundwork for deeper institutional and commercial ties between the two democracies.

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