Canada, India Aim to Seal Trade Talks by G20, Carney Says
Mark Carney says Canada and India are targeting a trade deal by the G20 summit in mid-December, with a Modi visit expected around then.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that trade negotiations with India are advancing well and that both sides are working to conclude talks by the G20 summit scheduled for mid-December.
Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Carney said he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had committed to trying to wrap up the negotiations by the summit, which is set for Dec. 14-15 at Trump National Doral in Miami.
Carney added that, to his understanding, India has confirmed that Modi will visit Canada around that time, although a precise date has not yet been fixed.
The push to finalize a trade agreement is part of Carney's broader effort to double Canada's non-U.S. trade over the next decade and reduce its dependence on the United States, as relations between Ottawa and Washington deteriorate under President Donald Trump.
Canada and India formally launched negotiations on a comprehensive trade agreement in March, with both governments committing to conclude talks by the end of 2026.
The economic rapprochement follows a deep diplomatic rupture over the 2023 killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations linking agents of the Indian government to Nijjar's killing.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police later said it had evidence allegedly linking Indian government agents to homicides and other violent acts in Canada. Trudeau said Indian diplomats had collected information about Canadians that was passed to organized crime and resulted in violence. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats amid the allegations. India denied involvement and accused Canada of harboring Sikh separatists.
Carney has moved quickly to rebuild ties. His visit to India earlier this year was the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2018.
Separately, Carney has pursued other trade diversification efforts, including embracing the prospect of Canada becoming the European Union's first associate member and striking a deal with China earlier this year that allows a limited number of Chinese electric vehicles into Canada at a sharply reduced tariff in exchange for China lowering tariffs on Canadian canola.