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PM Modi to visit Canada in December as India, Canada fast-track trade deal negotiations
Modi will visit Canada Dec. 11-12 as both countries fast-track trade talks and seek to finalize a pact aimed at doubling bilateral trade by 2030.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Canada in December, though the two sides are yet to finalise the dates for the trip, people familiar with the matter said on Friday, against the backdrop of fast-track negotiations for a trade deal that the two countries are hoping to conclude by the year-end.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told a gathering of the Indo-Canadian community in Calgary on Thursday that Modi is expected to visit in mid-December. “He [Modi] is coming, I think it’ll largely be to Ottawa and Toronto but we’ll see if we can broaden it out. I know the dates are December 11 and 12,” Carney said in an informal chat with community members.
The Indian high commission in Ottawa mentioned the same dates in a social media post regarding the visit, though the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the finer details of the visit were yet to be locked down. The two sides are still engaged in talks to finalise the dates, they said.
When external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was asked about the dates for the visit at a regular media briefing, he said Modi’s trip to Canada came up for discussion during Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand’s interactions with Indian interlocutors in New Delhi this week. “The dates for the visit are presently under discussion and we will announce the visit at the appropriate time,” he said.
Anand was the first to formally announce the visit on Wednesday, saying Canada looks forward to welcoming Modi in December.
Carney also spoke on the phone with Modi on Tuesday, and the two leaders agreed to build on the positive momentum in relations and work towards concrete outcomes in trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties.
People familiar with Modi’s schedule said the PM will meet Carney and Canadian businesses in Ottawa and attend a diaspora gathering in Toronto before travelling to the US for the G20 Summit. Besides travelling to Canada and the US, Modi is expected to go to the Belgian capital of Brussels on December 16-17 for the signing of the India-European Union (EU) free trade agreement.
India and Canada are expected to announce the conclusion of negotiations for the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) during Modi’s visit. The fifth round of trade talks was held in Ottawa last week. Officials are expected to review outstanding issues in November while the items agreed upon undergo legal scrubbing.
HT first reported that India is eyeing Carney as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January 2027.
This will be Modi’s first bilateral trip to Canada since 2015, when he travelled to Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver during Stephen Harper’s last year as PM. Both sides have worked to repair ties after Carney was elected PM in 2025. Canada is keen on bolstering economic ties with countries such as India to offset its trade tensions with the US.
India and Canada launched negotiations for the trade deal in New Delhi on March 2, when the two sides signed the terms of reference in the presence of Modi and Carney. The talks have moved swiftly since then, with the first round of negotiations held that month.
India is expected to purchase energy from Canada. Canada exports goods such as vegetables, mineral fuels and oils, and wood pulp to India worth $3.9 billion. It imports Indian merchandise worth $9.7 billion, including precious stones, metals, machinery and pharmaceuticals.
India and Canada have been working overtime to finalise the trade deal before the year-end. They aim to raise two-way trade to $70 billion by 2030. Goods and services trade between India and Canada in 2025 was worth $30.4 billion, with merchandise trade contributing $13.6 billion.
The trade talks have coincided with an upswing in bilateral relations, which fell to their lowest level in decades after former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India described those accusations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
The process of repairing ties began when Carney invited Modi to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis in June 2025. During her visit to New Delhi this week, Anand emphasised India’s importance as a “valuable partner” for Canada amid geopolitical uncertainty as she met Modi and external affairs minister S Jaishankar to strengthen ties in trade, energy and security.
