Sidhu Leads Canada’s Biggest Trade Mission to India in 30 Years as FTA Talks Gain Pace
International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is leading nearly 300 Canadian business delegates to India this week in the country’s largest trade mission to the subcontinent in more than three decades, as Ottawa and New Delhi push to conclude a comprehensive economic partnership agreement by year’s end. The Team Canada Trade Mission runs October 12–17 with stops in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
The delegation spans aerospace and space, clean technology and energy transition, information and communications technology, life sciences and agri-food — sectors where Ottawa believes Canadian expertise matches India’s fast-growing demand. “By matching Canadian expertise in sectors like aerospace, agri-food and clean technology with India’s growing demand, we will diversify our trade and attract new investment,” Sidhu said in a government statement. “This is how we will more than double our trade with India to $70 billion by 2030.”
Rebuilding after a diplomatic freeze
The mission marks how far the bilateral relationship has travelled. High-level contacts and trade negotiations stalled during years of diplomatic tension under former prime minister Justin Trudeau; Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has made repair a priority. Foreign Minister Anita Anand is travelling in parallel for bilateral meetings with her Indian counterpart, and officials say both ministers may meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to visit Canada in December.
There is even talk of symbolism to seal the reset: Indian officials have floated Carney as a possible chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2027. The trajectory — from frozen ties to a 300-delegate commercial embrace in under two years — shows how quickly trade pragmatism can move when both capitals want it to, a contrast with Ottawa’s sharper elbows on other foreign-policy fronts.
Diversification is the real prize
Beyond the handshakes, the mission is about arithmetic. Two-way goods and services trade reached $30.4 billion in 2025, but the balance is lopsided — Canada imported $9.7 billion in goods from India while exporting just $3.9 billion. With US tariffs hammering Canadian exporters and trade talks with Washington stalled, finding growth markets is no longer optional for Canadian business; it is survival strategy.
Key negotiating issues include agricultural market access, worker visas, energy, technology and critical minerals — files that touch provincial interests from Alberta’s energy patch to Ontario’s tech corridor. If the comprehensive economic partnership agreement lands by December as both sides intend, this week’s mission will be remembered as the week Canada stopped talking about diversification and started booking the flights.
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Sources: Government of Canada · The Hindu BusinessLine · The Indian Express via EuropeSays
