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In a bid to deepen bilateral economic and financial cooperation, India and Canada have said they are looking to conclude negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement by the end of 2026 and initiate talks on a Bilateral Investment Treaty at the earliest. At the inaugural Economic and Financial Dialogue in Toronto on Thursday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Minister of Finance and National Revenue, Francois-Philippe Champagne of Canada agreed to support engagement between relevant authorities and stakeholders to explore opportunities relating to cross-border remittances and merchant payments. They welcomed opportunities to broaden the use of UPI in Canada through partnerships with payment service providers, recognising that such efforts could contribute to faster, and cost-effective payments and support bilateral trade, tourism, education, and the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises in both countries, as per a joint statement issued after inaugural .
India and Canada concluded the third round of negotiations for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Ottawa on July 10, as the two sides look to wind up the talks this year itself. The issues that figured in the five-day talks include trade in goods, services, intellectual property, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and technical barriers to trade, among others. "India and Canada concluded the 3rd Round of negotiations for the India-Canada CEPA in Ottawa from 6-10 July 2026. The discussions witnessed positive progress across multiple negotiating tracks, reaffirming the shared commitment of both countries to conclude the negotiations in 2026, in line with the vision of the leaders," the Department of Commerce said in a social media post. The negotiations are important as the two sides have targeted to increase the bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030. In 2025-26, the two-way trade dipped 8.22 per cent to USD 7.95 billion (USD 4.
Investigators probing the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada have found no evidence linking Indian government officials to the murder, a senior Canadian police official said, directly contradicting previous allegations by the then prime minister Justin Trudeau that severely strained bilateral ties. The remarks by Lisa Moreland, the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), came hours after the US authorities charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar of ordering Nijjar's assassination. Under a coordinated hunt named 'Operation Hardball', the law enforcement agencies of the US, Canada and Europe arrested 24 people for their alleged links to three India-based organised crime groups, including the Bishnoi gang. The charges against them included orchestrating Nijjar's murder as well as various other cross-border organised crime. Sharing details of the probe, Moreland told Canada's CBC News
The US has charged Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster imprisoned in India, and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar for ordering the assassination of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in November 2023. According to a federal indictment unsealed in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Bishnoi ordered the killing of Nijjar, mentioned as 'H.S.N.' in court documents, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 three years ago. In a coordinated action named 'Operation Hardball,' the law enforcement agencies of the US, Canada and Europe arrested 24 persons 11 of them in California connected to three India-based transnational organised crime groups charged with a litany of criminal acts, including Nijjar's assassination . "Working together, law enforcement in the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate. There is no safe harbor for these thugs," First Assistant United States Attorney .
India and Canada on Tuesday agreed to conclude negotiations for a free trade agreement by the year-end as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on boosting ties in areas of defence, trade and energy. Modi and Carney met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains in eastern France. "It was a delight to meet Prime Minister Carney on the sidelines of the Evian G7 Summit," Modi said in a post on X. "In less than a year, it is our fourth meeting, indicating our commitment to strong India-Canada ties. We reviewed the full range of relations between our nations, notably the ground covered since we last met," he said. During the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed concluding the negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) this year, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. "Both sides expressed satisfaction with the progress in negotiations towards a Comprehensive Economic ...
Canadian and Indian officials have expressed optimism about ongoing negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement during a business summit in Regina, amid renewed engagement between the two countries after trade talks stalled in 2023, according to media reports. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, Canada's High Commissioner to India Chris Cooter and India's High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik, on Friday, participated in the Western Canada-India Leaders Summit in Regina, capital city of the Saskatchewan province, where they discussed bilateral ties and negotiations on the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), and spoke with delegations. According to Canadian broadcaster CBC News, Cooter said negotiations on the agreement were continuing and expressed confidence that a deal could be reached later this year. "The free trade agreement will happen. I have no doubt." CBC also reported that Patnaik said negotiations were ongoing. Moe described the relationship
India and Canada have launched a trade and investment forum to bring together businesses from both countries to promote commercial engagement, according to a joint statement issued on Friday. The two countries have also agreed to enhance connectivity between India and Canada, including people to people ties, business mobility, and direct commercial linkages, as essential enablers of expanded trade and investment, it said. The statement was issued after the conclusion of a three-day (May 25-27) official visit of Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. He has held a series of meetings with business leaders besides holding a bilateral meeting with Canada's Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu. "The Ministers launched the Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum as a key platform that brings together Canadian and Indian business leaders and fosters new commercial partnerships and increased business engagement," it said. They reiterated their commitment to advancing an
India and Canada have decided to focus on low-hanging fruit, work on areas of convergence and avoid seeking concessions in sensitive sectors in the negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has said. The two countries are negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The third round of negotiations is underway in Ottawa. The minister was in Canada for a three-day official visit. "I remember when I was talking to Mr Maninder Sidhu (Canada's trade minister) about speeding up CEPA negotiations, one of the first elementary decisions we both took was that 'we won't make perfect the enemy of the good'. "Let's capture the low-hanging fruit. Let's look at areas of convergence. Let's leave the sensitive things out of the agreement. If something is sensitive for Canada, no sense in trying to egg on and trying to get that into the CEPA. Likewise, if something is sensitive for India or the Indian public or Indian ...
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal has held meetings with Canada's leading pension funds, sovereign and institutional investors, and invited stakeholders to partner with India in areas such as clean energy, technology, digital infrastructure, AI, and manufacturing. The minister is in Canada for a three-day official visit. "Delighted to co-chair the 'Canada-India Investment Roundtable' alongside Mr. @MSidhuLiberal, Minister of International Trade of Canada. Held extensive discussions with Canada's leading pension funds, sovereign and institutional investors, members of the Canada-India Business Council and other stakeholders," Goyal said in a social media post. During the meeting, he highlighted India's focus on infrastructure, financial sector reforms and ease of doing business to create opportunities for global investors. Goyal also held a series of bilateral meetings with business representatives to discuss investment opportunities in India and areas of increasing ...