After Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand broke the ice as the first member of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new Liberal government to visit India, International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is visiting India. The minister, who has roots in India, is embarking on a two-day visit beginning November 12 to strengthen trade and investment linkages between the two countries.

As G7 Foreign Ministers convene for talks in Niagara, Sidhu announced that his visit aims to “find opportunities to advance trade and investment linkages between Canada and India.” Following meetings in New Delhi, he will travel to Visakhapatnam to participate in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit.

During the visit, Minister Sidhu will highlight Canada’s commitment to deepening its commercial relationship with India in key sectors such as artificial intelligence, clean technology, and digital industries. He will also seek to explore new avenues of cooperation that create mutual benefits for businesses and workers in both nations.

“This visit to India will reinforce Canada’s commitment to diversifying our trade relationships and attracting new investment. As one of the fastest-growing major economies, India offers significant opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers. Our commercial ties continue to expand—bilateral trade surpassed $30 billion in 2024—and there is even greater potential ahead,” said Sidhu on the eve of his departure. “By deepening cooperation in areas such as energy, clean technology, artificial intelligence, and agriculture, we can unlock new commercial opportunities, drive innovation, and build more resilient and secure supply chains that deliver shared prosperity for both our countries.”

India remains a key partner for Canada as it strengthens its economic engagement in the Indo-Pacific under a comprehensive regional strategy. In 2024, India was Canada’s seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with two-way trade valued at $30.9 billion.

Canada’s commercial priorities in India align with the country’s development goals and focus on sectors where Canada holds comparative advantages, including agriculture, clean technology, digital industries, and infrastructure. With India poised to become the world’s third-largest economy in the coming years, Canada is seeking to further expand cooperation in agriculture, energy, and critical minerals.

The renewed ministerial exchanges between Ottawa and New Delhi are being closely observed, as both nations appear to be taking steady steps toward restoring normalcy and rebuilding trust in their bilateral relationship.

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