PM Modi likely to visit Canada in December to lock in trade deal: Mark Carney

PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney (File photo)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December to seal the trade deal between New Delhi and Ottawa, Canadian PM Mark Carney said on Tuesday.Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Carney said that the relationship between India and Canada is "exceptionally important" and claimed that both countries are looking to reach a trade deal by the end of the year."We're making good progress in our trade negotiations with India. It is an exceptionally important relationship, on many, many levels. People-to-people levels, security levels and also trade and economic," Carney said."He (PM Modi) will be visiting Canada around that time. I very much look forward to hosting him," he added.This comes after Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal said that India and Canada have agreed to fast-track negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership, with the next round of talks scheduled to begin on October 5.Goyal said he had concluded the fourth round of negotiations for the proposed trade agreement with his Canadian counterpart, minister of international trade Maninder Sidhu, in Mumbai last week."I have concluded the fourth round of negotiations for the Canada trade deal with my counterpart Mr Maninder Sidhu in Mumbai on Friday. Very productive discussions and both sides have resolved to fast-track negotiations, in view of which our team is now slated to go for the fifth round," he said.

"Fifth of October. So you can see that as the progress is taking shape, the speed of negotiations with Canada is also improving. Let's see, the next 90 days should be a very defining period in the Canada-India relationship," the minister said.

India and Canada have discussed a comprehensive trade pact for more than a decade. Negotiations were formally relaunched in March 2022, with the two sides also pursuing an Early Progress Trade Agreement as an interim step.

Nine negotiating rounds were held between 2022 and 2023 before the process was paused in August 2023 amid a period of strain in bilateral relations.Trade talks between India and Canada restarted during the G20 summit in 2025 as both countries saw a thaw in diplomatic relations post the standoff with former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau who had blamed India for the killing of designated terrorist Hardeep Nijjar in Canada.