India and Canada opened the fourth round of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on Monday, September 14, in New Delhi. The five‑day session will cover trade in goods and services, rules of origin and technical trade barriers, with the goal of finalizing the agreement by the end of the year.
The talks follow a July meeting in Ottawa and build on commitments made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in March. During that summit, the leaders agreed to deepen cooperation in energy and critical minerals and set a year‑end target for completing the CEPA negotiations.
Both sides see the agreement as a lasting economic anchor that could raise bilateral trade to about $70 billion (₹4.65 lakh crore) by 2030. India‑Canada trade in goods was $8.66 billion in the 2024‑25 fiscal year, with Indian exports reaching $4.22 billion. India’s exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, machinery parts, iron and steel articles, electronics, organic chemicals, jewellery, garments, seafood, engineering goods and auto parts, while imports from Canada comprise pulses, fertilisers, mineral fuels, wood pulp, gems, aircraft parts and metal scrap.
India’s information technology sector is the primary driver of services exports to Canada. The recent visit by Prime Minister Carney has helped revive diplomatic ties that had deteriorated during the previous Canadian administration, which was criticized for supporting Sikh extremist groups opposed to India.
