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Anand in New Delhi: Canada aims to conclude India trade pact by year-end, deepen EU ties
Foreign Minister Anita Anand told Reuters in New Delhi that Canada aims to finish CEPA negotiations with India by the end of the year; Canada and the EU will discuss critical minerals, energy and AI at a summit later this month.
Why it matters
Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on Oct. 14, in a Reuters interview at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India is part of Canada's trade diversification strategy, adding: "we aim to conclude it by the end of the year." It is a key step in Mark Carney's plan to reduce reliance on the US market.
Full report
Anand said Canada has a clear goal: to double non-US trade over the next 10 years. "It is really about our national resilience and our sovereignty," she said, framing the push as a response to the pressure from US President Donald Trump's protectionist trade policy.
Negotiations are progressing well: Indian trade negotiators visited Canada last week, while International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is in India with a Team Canada business delegation. Carney has already discussed the agreement with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to visit Canada in December.
On the same day, Anand met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Modi. Both sides affirmed an "early conclusion" of CEPA; the fifth round of talks took place in Ottawa. It is Anand's third visit to India since June 2025, and bilateral ties have recovered from the diplomatic row of 2023–2024.
On Europe, Canada and the EU are expected to discuss critical minerals, energy and artificial intelligence at a summit later in October, building on the CETA framework. Canada signed a free-trade deal with Indonesia last year and hopes to reach one with ASEAN in 2026. Ottawa has concluded 15 trade agreements covering 51 countries and 1.5 billion consumers.
Two-way Canada-India goods and services trade reached $30.4 billion in 2025, with a goal of doubling it to $70 billion a year by 2030.
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