300-member Canadian trade delegation heads to India as countries look to firm up ties

Canada is dispatching a delegation of nearly 300 business representatives to India next week, marking the country's largest trade mission to the nation in over three decades. The visit, led by Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, will take place from October 12 to 17 in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Sidhu aims to capitalize on Canada's expertise in areas such as aerospace, agri-food, and clean technology to diversify trade and attract fresh investment.

The mission coincides with both nations working towards concluding negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by year-end.

Recent discussions between Sidhu and India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, who met during the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting in Milwaukee, focused on the progress of the CEPA talks and strategies to bolster bilateral trade and investment. The two countries have set a goal to double their combined trade to CAD 70 billion (approximately Rs.

4.75 lakh crore) by 2030. As of 2025, bilateral trade in goods and services stood at CAD 30.4 billion, with Canadian exports to India valued at CAD 3.9 billion in the same year. Key Canadian exports included vegetables, mineral fuels, wood pulp, while imports from India primarily comprised precious stones and metals, machinery, and pharmaceutical products.

The trade delegation aims to facilitate connections between Canadian businesses and Indian stakeholders, fostering partnerships that could generate employment opportunities in Canada. The mission also aligns with Canada's broader strategy to diversify its trade beyond the United States, with India listed as a key partner in its Indo-Pacific Strategy, launched in 2022. This strategy emphasizes trade, security, sustainability, people-to-people connections, and regional cooperation as its core objectives.