India-Canada trade deal on cards? Maninder Sidhu may visit in October ahead of PM Modi's December trip: Report

Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is likely to visit India in mid-October as the two sides seek to fast-track talks on a trade deal. If confirmed, it will be Sidhu's second trip in less than a month.

Sidhu is expected to meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi soon after the fifth round of negotiations on the India-Canada comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA), scheduled to be held in Canada from October 5, sources told the Hindustan Times.

Sidhu’s visit, expected around October 15, will coincide with a trip to India by a large Canadian trade mission to explore commercial and investment opportunities, the people familiar with the planning on both sides were quoted as saying.

“Obviously, with a trade deal, it isn’t done until there is agreement on all issues. But both sides are intent on concluding the negotiations as soon as possible,” one person said.

Sources claimed that most of the key issues related to the proposed CEPA have been resolved by officials on both sides, with political-level interventions now required to iron out contentious matters that require ministerial authority.

Canada's International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu was in Mumbai from September 18-19 to hold talks with Goyal.

India-Canada's 5th round of talks

The fifth round of talks for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and Canada will be held from October 5, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said last week.

"...the next 90 days should be a very defining period in the Canada-India relationship," he told reporters.

The fourth round of negotiations concluded on September 18. The talks are moving at a faster pace as both the countries are targeting to conclude the negotiations by the end of this year.

"Both sides have resolved to fast-track negotiations, in view of which our team is now slated to go for the fifth round on October 5," Goyal said.

The five-day talks may end on October 9.

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 engagement gathered momentum again in 2025. The two countries subsequently launched a fresh CEPA process, with Goyal and Sidhu signing the Terms of Reference on March 2, 2026, during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to India.

Both governments committed to seeking conclusion of the negotiations by the end of 2026.

PM Modi plans Canada trip for trade deal

According to Bloomberg, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the country in December, confirming a media report saying a deal could be inked then.

PM Modi is expected to visit Canada in December and sign a completed trade deal, the Globe and Mail reported, citing New Delhi’s envoy Dinesh Patnaik. The trip is likely to coincide with the Group of 20 meeting in Miami.

PM Modi is set to travel to the US, Canada and Belgium around mid-December. While he will attend the G20 Summit in the US, he is expected to visit Canada and Belgium to push trade ties. The India-EU free trade agreement is expected to be signed during his Belgium visit, the Hindustan Times reported.

Carney on Tuesday described Canada’s relationship with India as “exceptionally important” and said trade talks have proceeded well — echoing comments from his trade minister, Maninder Sidhu, in an interview on Bloomberg TV this week.

India's major exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods and chemicals.

Key imports from Canada include pulses, pearls and semi-precious stones, coal, fertilisers, paper and crude petroleum.

India's services exports to Canada are led by telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services.

Two-way trade reached $30.4 billion in 2025 and the target is double that to $70 billion by 2030.