Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is visiting India for the first time in an official capacity, arriving in Mumbai on 27 February 2026. His four-day trip is being seen as a strategic effort to diversify Canada’s trade relationships beyond the United States and strengthen ties with India, the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Expanding Bilateral Ties
Carney’s visit, at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aims to deepen cooperation across defence, energy, technology, and Artificial Intelligence. The two leaders last met in November 2025 during the G20 Summit in Johannesburg to review progress in the India–Canada partnership.
Over the course of the visit, Carney will engage with business leaders, CEOs, and financial experts, and participate in forums with innovators, educators, and Canadian pension funds operating in India. On 1 March, he will travel to New Delhi, with delegation-level talks scheduled with PM Modi at Hyderabad House on 2 March.
India–Canada CEOs Forum
Both Prime Ministers will attend the India–Canada CEOs Forum on 2 March. The forum provides a platform to reinforce the bilateral relationship and explore new economic, technological, and cultural partnerships. This visit comes at a key moment in the normalisation of India-Canada relations following a diplomatic strain in 2023 and 2024.
Diplomatic Reset
Relations between India and Canada were previously strained due to allegations surrounding the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada in 2023. Accusations, denials, and the reciprocal expulsion of diplomats had created a tense environment. Carney’s election in 2025 enabled a political reset, allowing both countries to rebuild diplomatic channels and restore collaboration.
Economic Cooperation Goals
The visit emphasizes economic ties, with India now Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner, generating USD 30.8 billion in two-way trade in 2024. Both nations plan to launch negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) aimed at doubling trade to USD 70 billion by 2030.
Discussions are expected to cover energy cooperation, including Canadian uranium exports to India, heavy crude purchases, and infrastructure projects such as pipelines and terminals. Other priority areas include AI, quantum computing, research, and education.
Strategic Diversification
Canada’s focus on India is also influenced by tensions with the United States. Political analyst Daniel Béland noted that Canadian leadership is seeking to diversify trade not just with Western nations, but also with emerging economies like India and China. Carney’s India visit aligns with this broader strategic goal.
