India-Canada ties at historic high, says envoy ahead of Anand's New Delhi visit
Synopsis
Canada's envoy to India says the two countries have never been closer — and the numbers back it up: four Modi-Carney meetings in a year, a 300-strong trade delegation en route, CEPA in its fifth round, and a possible FTA signing pencilled in for December. This is a full-scale bilateral reset, years in the making, finally gaining speed.
Key Takeaways
Canadian High Commissioner Christopher Cooter declared on 13 October 2026 that India-Canada ties are at an all-time high.
PM Modi and Canadian PM Mark Carney have met four times in just over a year; Modi is expected in Canada in early December 2026 .
Canadian FM Anita Anand arrived in New Delhi for her 10th meeting with EAM S Jaishankar in a year.
Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will lead a delegation of 300 Canadian business representatives — Canada's largest-ever trade mission — to India next week.
CEPA negotiations are in their fifth round ; a bilateral Free Trade Agreement could be signed during Modi's December visit.
Both nations aim to double bilateral trade by 2030 ; Indian companies in Canada employ around 50,000 Canadians , while Canadian firms employ about 1 lakh Indians .
Canadian High Commissioner to India Christopher Cooter declared on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 that the two nations have never shared as strong a bilateral relationship as they do right now, describing the chemistry between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as 'excellent'. His remarks came ahead of Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand's arrival in New Delhi the same day — her 10th meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar over the past year.
Leaders Meeting at Unprecedented Pace
Cooter underscored the intensity of high-level engagement, noting that the two Prime Ministers have met four times in just over a year. Canada's National Security Advisor has also held discussions with his Indian counterpart, and PM Modi is expected to visit Canada in early December 2026. 'I think it is fair to say that we never had as good a relationship as we have right now,' Cooter said. 'Starting at the highest level, the chemistry between our two Prime Ministers is excellent.'
The High Commissioner added that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could potentially be signed during Modi's December visit — a development he described as happening 'at light speed', given that formal negotiations only began in March 2026.
Largest-Ever Trade Mission to India
Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is set to visit India the following week, leading a delegation of 300 Canadian business representatives — what Cooter described as the largest trade mission Canada has ever dispatched to any country. The delegation will travel to Mumbai, Bengaluru, and several other cities in southern India over the course of a week.
Sidhu's visit will also focus on advancing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations, currently in their fifth round at the officials' level. He is expected to meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to accelerate the timeline. Both Sidhu and Anand are also set to participate in discussions at the Bloomberg conference during their India visit.
Private Sector Ties and a 2030 Trade Target
Beyond government-to-government frameworks, Cooter highlighted deepening corporate linkages. Canadian companies — primarily in IT, energy, and auto sectors — currently employ approximately 1 lakh Indians in well-paying jobs. Conversely, Indian companies in Canada employ around 50,000 Canadians. The two sides have set a goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030.
'What we're doing right now is we're kind of discovering each other,' Cooter noted, adding that investment flows between the two countries are 'going very well' even as merchandise trade remains below its potential. The two nations are set to mark 80 years of diplomatic ties in 2027.
Geopolitical Alignment and Defence Cooperation
Cooter also pointed to broader strategic convergence. He noted that both India and Canada are members of the New Partnership for Multilateralism, formed at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this year, and said Jaishankar and Anand were expected to discuss cooperation under that framework. A defence-related visit is anticipated 'in the near future', he added.
Drawing a parallel between India's Viksit Bharat 2047 ambition and Canada's own economic transformation — including $500 billion in corporate investment pledges and $500 billion in additional defence spending by 2035 — Cooter argued that both economies are on complementary trajectories. 'It's like gears fitting together, one supports the other and moves,' he said. With the December summit now firmly in view, the pace of engagement suggests the bilateral reset has genuine institutional momentum behind it.
Point of View
But the structural drivers are real: Canada needs to diversify away from US trade dependency, and India offers both a market and a talent pool that no other partner matches at this scale. The prospect of an FTA signed 'at light speed' — negotiations began only in March — deserves scrutiny; speed in trade deals often comes at the cost of sectoral depth, and India's track record on FTA implementation is mixed. What is genuinely new here is the private-sector momentum: 300 companies on a single trade mission signal corporate conviction, not just diplomatic choreography. Whether that conviction translates into measurable trade growth by 2030 will be the real test of this reset.
NationPress
13 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Canada's High Commissioner say about India-Canada relations?
Canadian High Commissioner Christopher Cooter said on 13 October 2026 that India and Canada have never had as good a relationship as they do right now. He cited four meetings between PM Modi and PM Carney in just over a year, frequent ministerial exchanges, and deepening private-sector ties as evidence of the bilateral reset.
Is India and Canada's Free Trade Agreement being signed in December 2026?
Cooter indicated that both sides are hoping to sign their first Free Trade Agreement during PM Modi's expected visit to Canada in early December 2026. He acknowledged the pace is unusually fast — formal negotiations only began in March 2026 — describing it as happening 'at light speed'.
What is the purpose of Canadian Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu's India visit?
Sidhu will lead a delegation of 300 Canadian business representatives to Mumbai, Bengaluru, and other southern Indian cities — Canada's largest-ever trade mission to any country. He will also meet Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal to advance the CEPA negotiations, which are currently in their fifth round.
What is the India-Canada bilateral trade target?
India and Canada have set a goal of doubling bilateral trade by 2030. As of now, Canadian firms employ roughly 1 lakh Indians while Indian companies in Canada employ around 50,000 Canadians, but overall merchandise trade remains below its potential.
When will India and Canada mark 80 years of diplomatic ties?
India and Canada will mark 80 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2027. High Commissioner Cooter described the current period as a historic momentum-building phase that both countries have talked about for decades but are only now achieving.
