Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December, as the two countries push to finalise a long-pending trade agreement by the end of 2026.
Speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Carney said negotiations were making “good progress,” describing the India-Canada relationship as “exceptionally important… on many, many levels — people-to-people, security levels and also trade and economic.” He added, “He will be visiting Canada around that time. I very much look forward to hosting him.”
Carney said he and Modi had targeted mid-December to finalise the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), though an exact date has not yet been announced by New Delhi. Reuters, citing The Globe and Mail, reported that the visit is expected in connection with efforts to close out the deal.
The visit would mark a significant milestone in the steady normalisation of ties between the two countries, which had collapsed following the 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver. Canada’s then-prime minister, Justin Trudeau, had publicly accused India of involvement — a charge New Delhi denied — leading both nations to expel diplomats in 2024.
Since taking office, Carney has pushed for a reset in relations, arguing that Canada needs greater access to the Indian market as it works to diversify trade and reduce dependence on the United States. He travelled to India from February 27 to March 2 this year, becoming the first Canadian prime minister to visit since the diplomatic rupture, holding talks with Modi in New Delhi and describing India as “the fastest-growing major economy and a powerhouse of global commerce and technology.”
That visit formally launched the CEPA negotiations, with both sides setting an ambitious target of expanding two-way trade to around CAD 70 billion by 2030. Canadian officials, including International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, have said Ottawa remains optimistic about wrapping up talks before the year ends.
A trade pact, if concluded ahead of Modi’s visit, would be the clearest sign yet that the two countries have moved past the diplomatic crisis of the last three years.
