INDIA’S Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal will visit Canada from May 25-27 to advance the ongoing negotiations of the Comprehensive Economic and Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Canada and hold official, business and industry interactions, according to an official press release of the Indian ministry.
Senior representatives from over 100 Indian businesses are accompanying Goyal from sectors like metals and mining, energy, automotive and capital goods, aerospace, tourism, leather and textiles, agriculture, telecom and pharmaceuticals among others.
During his visit, Goyal will meet with Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, and review the progress of India-Canada CEPA, and explore new opportunities for trade and investments. In the 2025-26 financial year, the bilateral trade between both countries was around US$8 billion, out of which India’s exports were US$4.67 billion and India’s imports were US$3.28 billion.
Goyal will call on Prime Minister Mark Carney and hold a series of bilateral meetings with, among others, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand to strengthen strategic cooperation across priority sectors. He will also interact with CEOs of leading Canadian companies, startups and pension funds.
“Energy security and energy transition are defining priorities for both our nations. Canada’s vast energy and natural resource base, and India’s expanding energy requirements, create strong complementarities. Further, the civil nuclear cooperation between India and Canada remains a cornerstone of the energy partnership,” the ministry said.
“Science and technology cooperation have a strong foundation, supported by regular institutional engagement. There is substantial scope for deeper India–Canada collaboration in AI research, standards, and innovation ecosystems.”
The sustained high-level engagement between India and Canada since mid-2025, including the recent visit of Carney to India on March 2, has contributed significantly towards restoring momentum in the bilateral relationship and people-to-people ties. The negotiations of the India-Canada CEPA were also launched during this visit, the ministry said.
An official delegation from Canada visited New Delhi from May 4-7 to conduct the second round of negotiations of the India-Canada CEPA. Goyal will be accompanied by officials for continuing the second round of negotiations for the India-Canada CEPA.
The press release said that both countries are committed to fast-tracking the negotiations and have envisioned increasing the bilateral trade between India and Canada to US$50 billion by 2030.
It added: “Canada has a large 2.8 million Indian Diaspora (1.8 million Indo-Canadians and about 1 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) including students) who are a living bridge between the two nations. India takes great pride in its diaspora and their achievements in Canada.
“India and Canada have resumed structured engagement through strategic and security channels alongside the broader political and economic renewal in bilateral relations. The visit is expected to explore cooperation across key sectors of mutual importance, strengthen the mutual trust, and impart greater momentum to a partnership that has the potential to expand exponentially.”
