India to send its largest-ever trade delegation to Canada to expedite trade talks

In a bid to tide over global uncertainties and the impact of the ongoing West Asia crisis on trade, India is looking to increase opportunities for its exporters across several geographies.India’s Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, said that India is slated to hold a joint commission with Canada to expand trade activities in late May or early June, as it plans to send its largest-ever trade delegation to the North American country.In a bilateral meeting with Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, on the sidelines of the recently concluded WTO MC-14, Goyal was invited for a visit to Canada in May 2026. While discussions focused on expediting the recently launched India-Canada CEPA negotiations, both sides also agreed to develop a diversified sectoral engagement strategy outside the FTA framework. This includes expanding cooperation in shipbuilding, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and the education sector.India also expressed support for Canada’s proposal to send a business delegation to India covering high-tech sectors such as aerospace, defence, and space. Underlining the importance of the clean energy transition, both ministers agreed to explore cooperation in nuclear energy and other critical areas, including agriculture and critical minerals.In March 2026, India and Canada launched negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in New Delhi. The talks will cover trade in goods, services, and other mutually agreed policy areas. Canada represents a market of 41.65 million people (2025) and a GDP of $2.34 trillion (PPP). As per DGCI&S data, bilateral trade stood at $8.66 billion in FY 2024–25 (exports worth $4.22 billion and imports worth $4.44 billion).Key exports from India to Canada include drugs and pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods, and chemicals, among others. Key imports into India from Canada include pulses, pearls and semiprecious stones, coal, fertilizers, paper, and crude petroleum. Key sectors of India’s services exports to Canada include telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services.

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