Canadian PM’s Visit To Focus On Restoring Trade, Cultural Relations With India

The upcoming visit of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to India is expected to usher in a renewed focus on trade and cultural relations between the two countries.

Carney will be on a state visit to India from February 27 to March 2, during which critical agreements and MoUs could be signed on trade, energy, technology and AI, talent and culture, and defence.

After India's relations with the US facing the heat of Trump tariffs, Canada has become even more important as a country in terms of trade and cultural ties. The two countries had bilateral trade in goods of over Canadian $13 billion, with India exporting goods worth Canadian $8.02 billion and importing goods worth Canadian $5.30 billion.

In services trade, however, India faced a deficit, with exports worth Canadian $3.5 billion and imports worth Canadian $16.1 billion.

A sizeable Sikh community also lives in the North American nation. However, bilateral relations took a hit under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

India had raised concerns over the Trudeau government allegedly giving shelter to Khalistani activities in the name of freedom of expression.

India-Canada relations were at an all-time low when the two countries expelled each other’s diplomats in 2024.

However, after Carney’s election as Prime Minister, both countries are working to restore warmth in relations. His visit to India is in line with these efforts.

According to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, he will arrive in Mumbai on February 27.

Over the next two days, he will participate in separate business engagements and interact with Indian and Canadian CEOs, industry and financial experts, innovators, educators, as well as Canadian pension funds based in India.

He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2 at Hyderabad House in New Delhi to hold delegation-level talks.

Both leaders will review the progress achieved to date across diverse areas of the India–Canada Strategic Partnership, building on their earlier meetings in Kananaskis and Johannesburg last year.

They will also take stock of ongoing cooperation in key pillars including trade and investment, energy, critical minerals, agriculture, education, research and innovation, and people-to-people ties.

The two leaders are also scheduled to attend the India–Canada CEOs Forum later in the day.