Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December to sign a free-trade agreement between the two countries, according to a report by
The Globe and Mail. India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, said in an interview on Tuesday that he expects the trade agreement currently under negotiation to be completed by November. He said PM Modi was then expected to travel to Canada the following month to formally sign the deal with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The details of the visit are still being finalised, Patnaik said. He also said he expected PM Modi and Carney to sign agreements covering defence and aerospace during the visit. Further agreements could also be reached under the "Talent and Innovation Strategy", unveiled in February to strengthen educational links between Canada and India, he added. India-Canada Trade Talks Canada began negotiations with India in November 2025 to reduce trade barriers. The talks are part of Carney's efforts to reduce Canada's economic dependence on the US, amid concerns over the increasingly unpredictable and protectionist policies of US President Donald Trump. Canada's International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said on Monday that discussions with India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal during his recent visit to Mumbai had resulted in "real progress" in the trade negotiations. Carney also visited India earlier this year on his first official trip to the country as prime minister, seeking to repair relations that had deteriorated under his predecessor, Justin Trudeau. Past Diplomatic Tensions Relations between India and Canada deteriorated sharply in 2023 after Trudeau publicly accused India of involvement in the killing of Canadian Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has denied the allegation. Four Indian citizens were arrested in spring 2024 and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the killing. India and Canada have since pledged to co-operate more closely on security. Patnaik said his aim as India's envoy was to ensure that "fringe issues" did not dominate relations between New Delhi and Ottawa. He said he wanted the relationship to be defined by "strong people-to-people bonds", trade and economic ties, and mutual investment in areas including energy, artificial intelligence and health.
