Canadian PM Mark Carney to visit India: Trade reset, AI push and defence ties on agenda

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to India this week as Ottawa looks to deepen economic and strategic ties with New Delhi. 

Carney's office said he will visit Mumbai and New Delhi from February 26 as part of a wider Indo-Pacific tour that also includes Australia and Japan. 

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In India, he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with talks expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence, talent mobility, and defence.

"The leaders will focus on elevating and expanding the Canada-India relationship, with ambitious new partnerships in trade, energy, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), talent and culture, and defence," Carney's office said. "He will meet with business leaders to identify investment opportunities in Canada and create new partnerships between businesses in both nations."

India-Canada ties: Resetting a strained relationship

The visit comes after a turbulent period in India-Canada relations. Ties frayed under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2023 following allegations about Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, claims New Delhi rejected. 

Since Carney took office in March 2025, both sides have taken steps towards normalisation. Canada's Foreign Minister Anita Anand visited India, high commissioners were reinstated, and Prime Minister Modi attended the G7 Summit in Kananaskis (Alberta) in June 2025, his first visit to Canada in a decade.

Carney's India trip is being positioned as part of that reset.

"In a more uncertain world, Canada is focused on what we can control. We are diversifying our trade and attracting massive new investment to create new opportunities for our workers and businesses. We are forging new partnerships abroad to create greater certainty, security, and prosperity at home," Carney said in a statement.

India-Canada: Trade and CEPA back in focus

India is now the world's fastest-growing major economy and a key pillar of Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy. In 2024, India was Canada's seventh-largest trading partner in goods and services, with two-way trade reaching $30.8 billion.

At last year's G20 Leaders' Summit, the two countries agreed to formally launch negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The proposed deal aims to more than double bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030.

Carney's office said the Canadian Prime Minister and Modi will look to "elevate and expand" the relationship, including through new partnerships in clean energy, critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and defence cooperation.

Business engagement is also central to the visit. Carney is expected to meet corporate leaders to explore investment opportunities in Canada and deepen two-way commercial ties.