India will send its largest-ever trade delegation to Canada next week

native american commercialism and manufacture government minister Piyush Goyal  testament be in Canada from May 25 to 27 with the largest Indian trade and investment delegation to ever visit any country.

The delegation includes "representatives from energy, infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, investment and innovation sectors," according to Prashant Srivastava, president of the Toronto-based Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC).

This is not a "routine diplomatic engagement."

Srivastava added that Canada’s critical minerals and monetary reserves, coupled with India’s 1.4-billion-strong consumer market, offers opportunities for businesses on both sides.

When Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited New Delhi in March, the two countries signed agreements covering critical minerals, clean energy co-operation and a landmark uranium supply deal worth $1.9 billion.

Carney signs deals with India worth billions

Ottawa and Delhi also relaunched negotiations for a free trade agreement. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the aim was to realize "the full potential of economic co-operation" and boost bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030.

Goyal’s Canada trip is expected to catalyze trade talks between the two countries.

All of this seemed impossible just a year ago. 

Canada-India relations hit a historic low in 2023, after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly alleged the Indian government’s involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver. Both sides called back diplomatic staff, trade talks froze and uncertainty loomed over economic ties.

When Carney succeeded Trudeau last year, things changed. In light of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff wars, Carney called India a "natural partner" during a visit to Mumbai in February 2026.

Though Ottawa-Delhi ties have improved dramatically since, India continues to raise the issue of Sikh separatists operating on Canadian soil. Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters earlier this month that "India has repeatedly urged the Canadian government to take effective action against anti-India extremist elements operating from its soil."

Speaking in March, Carney said there had been "progress" with India on the issue of foreign interference, while reiterating that Canada would "not tolerate foreign interference or transnational repression, by anyone."

But the issue is not a deal-breaker, according to experts.

"Political relations have improved," said Jawed Ashraf, a former Indian diplomat and current chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organization. "We are seeing a much more constructive and positive approach from the Canadian side, but we will continue to deal with those issues."

He emphasized that Commerce Minister Goyal is heading to Canada "with a very serious intent to make concrete advancement in the negotiations" on the Canada-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, known as CEPA.

Canada-India trade currently stands at $10 billion, but one "cannot measure the importance of this relationship purely in terms of the trade value," said Ashraf.

The push to take this trade to $50 billion in the next four years comes as both Ottawa and Delhi have been looking to diversify away from their traditional trade partners. For Canada, the U.S. Under President Donald Trump isn’t as reliable as it has been historically. For India, reducing trade dependence on the U.S. As well as China is imperative, experts say.

India has recently been on a spree of finalizing new free trade agreements. Ashraf said the trade pact with the United Kingdom last year and another with the European Union finalized this year is India's signal to the world that it’s open for business.

"We're looking forward to linking up, in a sense, a network of partnerships which brings the EU, Canada, India, U.K. Down towards Australia, Southeast Asia, into a sort of a web of relationships and trade partnerships," Ashraf said.

"Canada has all the strengths that we need and all the resources that we require."

Some Canadian experts see enormous opportunities in a greater partnership with India. 

Partha Mohanram, the director of the India Innovation Institute at the University of Toronto, told the U.K. Guardian that India is a "tremendous country to hitch your wagon to." 

"Most other economies in the world, even if they’re rich, are extremely stagnant, because of demographics. A deal with India gives you a big piece of a fast-growing economy."

ICCC president Shrivastava argues that India is crucial to Canada’s China-plus one strategy — a policy move to reduce reliance on Chinese imports.

"There's a huge, huge opportunity, especially in the IT, AI, education-related services in which both the countries would complement [each other]," Srivastava said. 

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Canadian businesses are also seeking simpler rules of entry in India and clarity on taxation, compliance, regulatory transparency and streamlined administrative processes. ICCC is hoping a free trade agreement will address these issues and make India’s operating environment more attractive, especially for small- and medium-sized businesses. 

India also aims to show Canadian institutional investors that it’s an attractive destination for their money. Canadian firms invested $3.9 billion in India between 2000 and March 2024, with pensions funds emerging as marquee investors. As India is currently facing record foreign investment outflows and a weakening rupee, maintaining foreign investment could be at the top of the agenda.

When the Indian delegation led by Commerce Minister Goyal lands in Ottawa, the aim will not only be to advance free trade negotiations but also help businesses across the borders connect with each other, Ashraf said.

"The agreements that governments enter into … open the doors. But it's for the businesses to actually do business," he said, adding that this visit is about the "diversification of economic partnerships at a time of great economic uncertainty and fluidity." 

Ishan Garg is an international correspondent based in New Delhi, India, covering South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific for global audiences. Ishan has covered landmark events including India's G20 presidency, multiple national and state elections, EU-India trade negotiations and proceedings at the International Court of Justice.

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