Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, 16 June 2025, declared that India and Canada are making 'very good progress' toward concluding a long-pending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) before the G20 Summit, as he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France. The bilateral meeting marked the fourth face-to-face engagement between the two leaders across four continents in under a year.

Four Meetings, One Trajectory

Carney opened the bilateral with a pointed reference to the pace of engagement. 'Four continents, four meetings, one year. And right from the start, at the G7 in Kananaskis in Canada... you've set a high bar for the relationship and what we can do together,' he said. The remark underscored how dramatically the India-Canada relationship has pivoted after a prolonged diplomatic chill that followed the 2023 fallout over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Carney confirmed a reciprocal visit to Canada is on the cards for Modi, adding that the momentum built since Kananaskis has been sustained across every subsequent meeting.

G20 Deadline for the FTA

The two leaders have set a firm deadline: conclude the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) by the G20 Summit. 'His Excellency likes a deadline. I like one as well. And our deadline is to complete by the G20,' Carney said, indicating that negotiating teams on both sides have been briefed on the timeline.

Canada's International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu confirmed that two rounds of negotiations have already been completed. 'We promised Canadians that we'd be moving fast,' Sidhu said, adding that Canada is looking to unlock 'roughly $300 billion of additional non-US exports' through trade diversification — a strategic priority that has sharpened since renewed US tariff pressure on Canadian goods.

Trade Delegation and Sectoral Priorities

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal led what Canadian officials described as the 'largest-ever' Indian business delegation to Canada ahead of this meeting. Carney noted that a 'big reciprocal' Canadian trade delegation to India is also planned. Sectoral discussions have covered energy, agri-food, technology, and education.

Goyal said Modi's recent visit to India had 'imparted fresh momentum and renewed confidence to the India-Canada partnership,' and expressed optimism over an early CEPA conclusion. Both sides held what Goyal described as 'forward-looking discussions on further deepening bilateral cooperation.'

Doubling Trade by 2030

Carney set an ambitious commercial target: doubling bilateral trade by the end of this decade. 'We think we can do more,' he said, pointing to university exchanges, cultural linkages, and growing business-to-business ties as drivers beyond the FTA itself. Last month, Carney had called the India FTA a 'game changer for Canadian workers and businesses — unlocking a massive new market,' in a social media post following his meeting with Goyal in Ottawa.

What Comes Next

With two negotiating rounds completed and a G20 deadline publicly committed to by both sides, the pressure on negotiating teams is now considerable. The next major test will be whether sectoral sticking points — historically around dairy, pharmaceuticals, and professional mobility — can be resolved within the compressed timeline. A Modi visit to Canada, if confirmed, would add further political weight to the process.