Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has accepted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to visit India in early 2026, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said.
After the return of the High Commissioners in August 2025, the two Prime Ministers agreed to increase the number of diplomatic staff to meet growing consular demands and strengthen people-to-people ties. They also agreed to promote mutual knowledge transfer as part of ongoing cooperation between the two countries.
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Carney welcomed the progress made in the law enforcement dialogue between India and Canada.
India and Canada have agreed to start talks on a Comprehensive and High Ambition Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) following a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit on Sunday. The planned CEPA negotiations are expected to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030.
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After the meeting, PM Modi said the two leaders recognized “significant momentum” in the relationship and committed to “further progress” in cross-sector cooperation. In a post on X, he wrote: “Had a very productive meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. We appreciated the significant boost in our bilateral relations since our earlier meeting during the G7 summit hosted by Canada.” He added: “We agreed to further develop our relations in the coming months, especially in the areas of trade, investment, technology and innovation, energy and education.”
Modi noted that the two countries “have great potential in strengthening trade and investment ties” and set a “goal” of $50 billion by 2030. He also said that Canada’s pension funds “are also showing great interest in Indian companies.” The prime minister said the two leaders were expected to meet again soon and that they “agreed to unlock the potential for deeper cooperation in the defense and space sectors.”
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The two sides “reaffirmed” their long-standing civilian nuclear cooperation and discussed expanding it through long-term uranium supply agreements, according to a statement from the State Department.
On Sunday, Carney described India as a reliable trading partner. Asked during a press conference, he replied: “Yes, actually.” He noted that India and Canada do not yet have a CEPA with “one of the world’s largest and fastest growing economies”. He added: “Being able to do business with them more effectively, to scale that business with them, that would help a lot.”
Carney highlighted what he described as a strong trade relationship, saying Canadian firms are “one of the largest foreign investors.” He said a formal trade agreement would provide businesses with protection, clear rules and a dispute settlement system.
He also pointed to India’s growing role in sectors such as solar and wind power, and said Canada is looking to diversify supply chains. “We will diversify away from China in that regard, which is the dominant player there,” he said, adding, “India and South Korea are really the two main opportunities.”
Sunday’s meeting was the first bilateral meeting between the two leaders since their interaction at the G7 summit in Kananaskis in June, which helped restore ties and pave the way for the return of high commissioners after relations soured under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau claimed in Parliament in September 2023 that there were “credible links” between Indian agents and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, claims New Delhi dismissed as “absurd” and “motivated”.
Engagement has since progressed under Carney, who took office in March. India and Canada along with Australia announced the Australia-Canada-India Partnership on Technology and Innovation (ACITI) on Saturday. Modi said the partnership “will deepen cooperation among democratic partners across three continents and three oceans in emerging technologies, promote diversification of supply chains, clean energy and mass adoption of AI”.
In another post, Canada’s prime minister said: “We will work more closely together on clean energy, critical minerals and artificial intelligence to unlock new research, more opportunities and greater prosperity.”
Disclaimer: This story was published from the agency’s news feed without editing the text. Only the title was changed.
