Positive changes are continuously being seen in the relations between India and Canada. The relations which had turned sour during the tenure of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are now seen to be back on track under the leadership of the new Prime Minister Mark Carney. The biggest indication of this is that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India and he will pay an official visit to India in early 2026. This information has been released by the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.
This warmth between the two countries did not arise suddenly. It started during the G7 summit held in Kananaskis, Canada in June this year, where the first meeting of PM Modi and Carney laid the foundation for restarting relations. After this, the diplomatic appointments that were stalled due to the tension that had been going on for eight years also started again and in August 2025, the High Commissioners of both the countries were sent back. In this sequence, the bilateral meeting held at the G20 summit has given a new direction to the relations.
Long talks took place in G-20 summit
During the G20 meeting, there was a long conversation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mark Carney, in which both the countries agreed to strengthen visa and consular services, increase staff in embassies and promote people-to-people contacts. The Canadian Prime Minister also appreciated the progress being made in law enforcement dialogue between India and Canada.
Mutual trade up to 50 billion dollars
The biggest decision was related to the economic sector. Both countries have agreed to start negotiations on the high-ambition CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement). The aim of this trade agreement is to increase bilateral trade to US$ 50 billion by 2030. PM Modi, writing on X, said that both the leaders have resolved to increase cooperation in many areas including trade, investment, technology, innovation, energy and education. He also said that Canadian pension funds are very enthusiastic about investing in Indian companies.
Carney also described India as a reliable trading partner in the press conference, saying that Canadian companies are already big investors in India and CEPA will make trade rules clear, safe and conflict-free. He said that India’s role in sectors like solar and wind energy is increasing rapidly and Canada wants to shift its supply chain from China to countries like India and South Korea.
ACITI partnership also announced
Agreement on deeper partnership in defense and space sectors was also an important part of the talks. Along with this, both the leaders discussed further expanding civil nuclear cooperation through long-term uranium supply. Recently, India, Canada and Australia have also announced ACITI (Australia-Canada-India Technology & Innovation) partnership, which aims to advance tri-partnership in emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, clean energy and supply chain diversification.
This progress, which is taking India-Canada relations to a new level, is also special because after the allegations made by Justin Trudeau against Indian agencies in the Nijjar case in 2023, relations between the two countries had deteriorated and relations at the diplomatic level had almost come to a standstill. But after Mark Carney became Prime Minister in March 2025, relations changed rapidly, talks increased and trust began to be restored.
Now Prime Minister Carney’s visit to India is being considered an important step in this entire process. It is hoped in diplomatic circles that this visit will permanently strengthen the relations between India and Canada and will take economic and strategic cooperation to new heights.
