Modi to visit Canada on December 11-12 as India and Canada press for a trade pact

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Canada on December 11 and 12, according to the Indian High Commission in Ottawa and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI) on October 16.

The announcement

PTI reported that the Indian High Commission announced the dates in a social media post on Thursday, and that Carney confirmed them the same morning while speaking to people at a restaurant in Calgary. Carney said the visit will take place in Toronto and Ottawa and that the two sides may try to broaden the itinerary.

The announcement followed a phone call between Modi and Carney on Tuesday. PTI reported that Modi described the call as warm and productive. According to PTI, Carney's office said the two leaders agreed to build on recent progress and pursue results in trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties, and reaffirmed their commitment to concluding a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) as soon as possible and to supporting efforts to double two-way trade by 2030.

The trade talks

The Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) reported, in a piece dated October 14, that Canada and India are intensifying CEPA talks with the aim of concluding a deal before the end of 2026. It said the fifth round of negotiations was held in Ottawa from October 5 to 9, and that a Team Canada trade mission of about 300 delegates visited India from October 12 to 17, described as Canada's largest trade delegation to India in more than three decades. Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu met India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi, which IANS said was their ninth meeting since May 2025.

IANS reported that Canada aims to raise annual two-way trade with India to $70 billion by 2030, from $30.4 billion in goods and services in 2025. The report does not specify the currency. It said Global Affairs Canada stated that the two countries are intensifying efforts toward a mutually beneficial agreement, but the statement did not identify the remaining differences or give a date for the next round.

In a separate IANS interview published the same day, India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K. Patnaik, said he expects the agreement to be finalized by November and that India hopes to sign it during Modi's proposed December visit. He described the foundations of a comprehensive partnership as restored. IANS said the talks are part of an effort to rebuild relations after a prolonged period of tensions.

What the reports differ on

The IANS trade-mission report counts the Ottawa round as the fifth, while the Patnaik interview refers to the fourth round as concluded. The timelines also vary: Canada's stated aim in the IANS piece is the end of 2026, while Patnaik expects finalization by November.