Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is likely to visit India in the first week of March and sign deals on uranium, energy, minerals and artificial intelligence, Dinesh Patnaik, India’s high commissioner to Canada, said in an interview.
Carney is making every effort to diversify Canada’s alliances away from the US, its top trading partner. He earned a rare standing ovation in Davos last week for saying the old rules-based order was over and called on middle powers like Canada to form coalitions to create a fairer and more resilient world.
His viral speech followed a deal with China to cut tariffs on electric vehicles and canola and open export markets to up to C$7 billion ($5.11 billion) as it seeks to double exports outside the US over the next decade.
Carney is also rebuilding ties with India after his predecessor, Justin Trudeau, accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023. India has denied the claims.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Group of 7 summit last year at Carney’s invitation, and several of Carney’s ministers traveled to India.
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“I feel like we’re looking at the first week of March,” High Commissioner Patnaik said when visiting Carney during a weekend interview.
Carney’s office declined to comment. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday that Carney would visit Australia in March to address parliament.
Canadian Energy Minister Tim Hodgson is visiting India this week and said the timing of Carney’s trip has not yet been determined.
“We have plans for the prime minister to visit sometime this year, it will depend on the progress we make,” Hodgson said in an interview on Sunday.
Formal negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India are also expected to begin in March, Patnaik said. The countries agreed in November to resume suspended trade talks.
During his visit, Carney will sign smaller agreements with the Indian government on nuclear energy, oil and gas, environment, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, as well as agreements on education and culture, Patnaik said.
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A 10-year uranium supply deal worth C$2.8 billion is likely to be included, he added.
Hodgson did not confirm the deal, but said Canada is happy to sell uranium under the Canada-India nuclear cooperation agreement if India is prepared to comply with International Energy Agency safeguards.
“We know that India is a major nuclear country and has big plans to increase the civilian use of nuclear power,” Hodgson said. “So that would be one of the topics that I expect my counterpart and I will discuss.
Between Hodgson and Carney’s visit, the two countries will announce deals on energy and mining, Patnaik said, adding that a pact on critical minerals and oil and LNG transactions will be the most significant.
“We need to focus on economies that are large and growing. India falls squarely into that category. India is a growing user of critical minerals that Canada can supply,” Hodgson said.
A SENSE OF URGENCY
The two countries are moving forward with a sense of urgency after two years of stalled talks and a renewed push to move quickly to make sure countries hit by US tariffs forge their own path, Patnaik said.
“We now live in a world where the rules-based natural order that gave the world certainty is not working,” he said, referring to Carney’s Davos speech.
“(We) should work together to reach an agreement that protects us from the vagaries of the international order,” he added.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened Canada with 100% tariffs if it signs a deal with China.
Carney responded that Canada is honoring its commitments under the agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada not to seek free trade agreements with non-market economies.
Patnaik said India is also seeking new agreements.
India and the EU are expected to announce the conclusion of protracted talks on a free trade pact on Tuesday.
A CEPA pact could be signed within a year of the start of formal negotiations with Canada, Patnaik added.
Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are also likely to visit Canada very soon, he said.
Patnaik said four people accused of murdering Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar are on trial in Canada. If there is evidence that Indians were involved, India will take action, he said.
He said India’s national security adviser will visit Ottawa next month as part of regular meetings between the two countries to exchange intelligence and discuss security measures.
