India and Canada Reaffirm Commitment to Conclude CEPA by End of 2026

·         Maninder Sidhu and Piyush Goyal reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral trade and investment relations between India and Canada.

·         The ministers emphasized the goal of achieving tangible economic outcomes that support growth and create new commercial opportunities for businesses in both countries.

Focus Areas for Cooperation

·         Both sides highlighted opportunities to deepen collaboration in sectors such as:

o    clean energy,

o    critical minerals,

o    agri-food,

o    advanced manufacturing,

o    digital technologies,

o    and skills development.

CEPA Negotiations

·         The ministers reiterated their commitment to negotiating an ambitious and mutually beneficial Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

·         They confirmed their shared objective of concluding CEPA negotiations by the end of 2026.

·         The agreement is expected to:

o    improve market access,

o    strengthen resilient supply chains,

o    and promote two-way economic growth.

Launch of Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum

·         The two ministers launched the Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum.

·         The forum aims to:

o    connect Canadian and Indian business leaders,

o    encourage commercial partnerships,

o    and increase business engagement between the two countries.

Enhancing Bilateral Connectivity

·         Both sides emphasized improving:

o    people-to-people ties,

o    business mobility,

o    and direct commercial connections.

·         They described these links as essential for expanding trade and investment flows.

Canada Trade Mission to India

·         Maninder Sidhu announced that Canada will lead a “Team Canada” Trade Mission to India later in 2026.

·         The mission reflects growing Canadian business interest in the Indian market and the ambition to deepen commercial cooperation.

Long-Term Investment Cooperation

·         India and Canada agreed to continue promoting:

o    long-term, high-quality investments,

o    innovation partnerships,

o    and institutional collaboration across priority sectors.

·         The ministers also committed to maintaining regular dialogue and advancing concrete trade and investment outcomes in the coming months.

 

[ABS News Service/29.05.2026]

Canada-India Joint Statement 2026 Trade and Investment Forum

Minister Sidhu and Minister Goyal reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, to deliver tangible outcomes that support economic growth and increased commercial opportunities for businesses in both countries. Building on the momentum generated through recent ministerial engagement, Minister Sidhu welcomed Minister Goyal and the largest Indian delegation ever sent anywhere in the world, and underscored opportunities to deepen cooperation across complementary sectors such as clean energy, critical minerals, agri‑food, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and skills development.

Both Ministers reiterated their commitment to advancing an ambitious and mutually beneficial Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and affirmed their shared objective of concluding negotiations by the end of this year. They underscored CEPA’s importance in expanding market access, supporting resilient supply chains, and enabling two‑way economic growth.

The Ministers launched the Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum as a key platform that brings together Canadian and Indian business leaders and fosters new commercial partnerships and increased business engagement.

The Ministers also emphasized the importance of enhancing connectivity between India and Canada — including people‑to‑people ties, business mobility, and direct commercial linkages — as essential enablers of expanded trade and investment.

Minister Sidhu confirmed that Canada will lead a Team Canada Trade Mission to India later this year, reflecting the strong interest of Canadian businesses in expanding their presence in the Indian market and the shared ambition to deepen commercial partnerships.

Canada and India agreed to continue encouraging long‑term, high‑quality investment in priority sectors and to support deeper collaboration between businesses, innovators, and institutional partners in both countries. The Ministers committed to maintaining regular dialogue and advancing concrete outcomes in the months ahead.