Canada Races to Seal India Trade Pact by Year-End as Anand Vows to Double Non-U.S. Trade

Standing at the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi on October 14, Foreign Minister Anita Anand put a clock on Canada's biggest trade bet in a generation: get the India deal done by New Year's Eve. "The Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement with India is part of our trade diversification strategy, and yes, we aim to conclude it by the end of the year," she told Reuters. For a country still buying three-quarters of its exports from one unpredictable customer south of the border, that deadline is everything.

The context is hard to miss. Anand framed the push as a direct answer to Donald Trump's protectionist trade policy — Canada is racing to shrink its dependence on the United States by doubling non-U.S. trade over the next decade. "It is really about our national resilience and our sovereignty," she said. "We need to ensure that we are not reliant on any one country for the economic resilience that our country has been able to exhibit."

What's on the table: CEPA, $70 billion, and a December Modi visit

The centerpiece is the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the long-stalled pact both sides want across the finish line. Indian negotiators were in Canada just last week; the fifth round of talks wrapped in Ottawa on October 9. Both capitals have set a target of lifting two-way trade to 70 billion Canadian dollars by 2030, up from $30.4 billion in goods and services in 2025.

The political choreography is moving fast. Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is in Mumbai and Bengaluru with nearly 300 Canadian businesses — the largest Canadian trade mission to India in over 30 years. Anand is meeting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, their 11th sit-down since September 2025. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected in Canada in December — the kind of visit that tends to force negotiators to close.

It's not just India: the EU summit and the bigger diversification play

Anand made clear India is one leg of a wider strategy. Canada and the European Union will talk critical minerals, energy, and artificial intelligence at a summit later this month, building on the existing CETA framework. Ottawa signed a free trade deal with Indonesia last year and wants an ASEAN pact in 2026. All told, Anand said Canada has concluded 15 trade agreements covering 51 countries and 1.5 billion consumers.

In a separate exclusive interview with NDTV, Anand struck a warmer note: "We have made progress with India," she said, adding that the relationship "isn't just an economic one. The people-to-people ties that bind our two countries are very deep," visible in business, universities, tourism, and family connections.

Why this reset matters — and what could still go wrong

Consider where this relationship was three years ago: diplomatic expulsions, suspended visas, and a full-blown crisis after Justin Trudeau's allegations about Indian government agents. Under Mark Carney, the ice has melted fast — his March trip to India, the Kananaskis reset, and now a year-end trade deadline.

But a target is not a signature. As trade analysts note, the deadline remains aspirational until negotiators settle the outstanding issues on tariffs, investment protections, and market access. Still, with Modi's December visit looming and both leaders' reputations now attached to the timeline, the pressure to deliver has rarely been higher. If Canada lands this one, Anand's "flourishing" relationship gets its biggest proof yet — and Ottawa's bet on life beyond the American market starts to look real.

Sources

• Reuters: Canada races to seal India trade pact by year-end, deepen EU ties
• NDTV: Exclusive — Canada minister Anita Anand shares plan to double non-US trade, India's role
• CNBC TV18: Canadian foreign minister to visit India, advance bilateral roadmap with Jaishankar