PM Modi likely to visit Canada in December to sign India-Canada trade deal: Report

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December as New Delhi and Ottawa push to conclude a long-awaited trade agreement by the end of the year, according to Canadian media reports.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed that Modi would visit Canada around the time of the G20 summit in December. The summit is scheduled to be held in Miami in mid-December.

“We’re making good progress in our trade negotiations with India,” Carney said on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to CBC News. He said the relationship with India was important across trade, economic, security and people-to-people ties.

“Modi will be visiting Canada around that time,” Carney said, referring to the G20 meeting.

The Globe and Mail separately reported that India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, expects the trade agreement to be completed by November, with Modi travelling to Canada the following month to sign it.

India-Canada trade deal

The proposed agreement is a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA. India and Canada formally launched negotiations earlier this year after their leaders agreed to accelerate talks during Carney’s visit to India in March.

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Both countries have set a target of concluding the negotiations by the end of 2026.

The latest developments come after the fourth round of CEPA negotiations, which concluded in New Delhi on September 19. Canada has said both sides are working to narrow differences and maintain momentum towards completing the agreement this year.

Canada’s International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu met Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in Mumbai during his recent visit. Canada said the discussions focused on advancing the CEPA and expanding bilateral trade and investment.

Four rounds of negotiations have now been completed, according to the Canadian government.

What the trade deal could mean

The agreement is expected to cover trade in goods and services, investment and other areas of economic cooperation.

Canada wants to expand its exports beyond the US and has identified India as an important market as it seeks to diversify its trade relationships.

According to the Canadian government, two-way goods and services trade between Canada and India stood at $30.4 billion in 2025. Merchandise trade accounted for $13.6 billion of that total.

Canada exported goods worth $3.9 billion to India in 2025, while imports from India stood at $9.7 billion. Canada is targeting a doubling of two-way trade with India to $70 billion annually by 2030.

India has also identified Canada as an important source of energy, critical minerals and investment.

During Carney’s March visit to India, the two countries signed or announced several initiatives covering energy, critical minerals, technology, artificial intelligence, talent and defence. A $2.6 billion long-term uranium supply agreement between Saskatchewan-based Cameco and India’s Department of Atomic Energy was also announced.

Diplomatic ties also improving

The trade negotiations mark a significant change in India-Canada relations after ties deteriorated sharply in 2023 following the killing of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

Then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Indian government agents may have been linked to Nijjar’s killing. India rejected the allegations.

The diplomatic dispute affected trade and other areas of bilateral engagement.

Carney’s government has since sought to rebuild relations with New Delhi while also expanding economic ties.

Carney visited India in March, the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2018. Modi and Carney met again in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France and discussed progress in bilateral economic cooperation, including energy and supply chains.

The two leaders also agreed to continue work on defence and security cooperation, while maintaining dialogue on law enforcement and other sensitive issues.

At their June meeting, Modi thanked Carney for the invitation to visit Canada in 2026. The two sides agreed to work through diplomatic channels to settle a mutually convenient date.

The expected December visit would therefore come as both countries attempt to move their relationship towards trade, investment, energy, technology and strategic cooperation.