PRIME Minister Mark Carney said on Monday that Canada is negotiating a free trade deal with India. “This will be a game changer for Canadian workers and businesses — unlocking a massive new market,” he added in a post on X.
Carney met with India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal who is visiting Canada from May 25-27 to advance the ongoing negotiations of the Comprehensive Economic and Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two countries and hold official, business and industry interactions.
“We’re working fast,” Carney said. “I met Minister Piyush Goyal to review our progress so far and explore the opportunities ahead for both our countries in energy, agri-food, tech, and education.”
Goyal said he conveyed warm greetings from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Fondly recalled his recent visit to India, which has imparted fresh momentum and renewed confidence to the India-Canada partnership,” he said in a post on X.
“We had forward-looking discussions on further deepening bilateral cooperation and expressed optimism towards the early conclusion of the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which would unlock new avenues of growth and prosperity for both nations,” Goyal added.
Goyal said he also held constructive bilateral discussions on Monday morning in Ottawa with Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu on advancing CEPA negotiations.
“We provided clear guidance to our teams to work towards a balanced, commercially meaningful and ambitious agreement that strengthens economic partnerships and delivers tangible benefits to businesses and citizens of both countries,” he added.
Sidhu said Carney and he welcomed Goyal as Canada hosts India’s largest-ever business delegation sent to any country.
He added: “We’re advancing work toward a Canada-India CEPA trade agreement and strengthening our economic partnership that will create new opportunities for businesses, workers and exporters.
“As we work to double Canada-India trade to $70B by 2030, building ties with one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies is central to delivering results for Canadians.”
Goyal said he concluded a productive day in Ottawa with a delightful interaction at a reception hosted by Sidhu where he “spoke about India’s remarkable growth journey, driven by the aspirations of its people, a thriving entrepreneurial spirit, a vast talent pool and greater market opportunities.”
He “also emphasised the significant contribution of the Indian diaspora in deepening economic, cultural and people-to-people relations.”
Earlier, he held wide-ranging talks with Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand. He said he “emphasised the importance of trade, investment and technology linkages for the India-Canada Strategic Partnership.”
He also “highlighted that India’s expanding infrastructure, renewable energy, logistics, digital infrastructure, and consumer sectors, among others, offer significant opportunities for greater collaboration and investments.”
Anand said it was great to meet with Goyal. “We discussed strengthening and expanding our trade relationship to create new opportunities for businesses, workers, and investors in both our countries, while deepening our economic partnership.”
Goyal also met with Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald.
“We discussed strengthening cooperation in agriculture, with a focus on food security, sustainability, agri-tech, and exploring opportunities for collaboration in the food processing sector, aimed at boosting the incomes of Indian farmers and producers,” said Goyal.
MacDonald said: “Trade between our countries reached over $30B in 2025, and we’re driving that to $70B by 2030.”
