India minister seeks to build on trade ties reset by recent Carney visit

India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal says Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent visit to his country paved the way for a complete overhaul of the Canada-India relationship.

Goyal is in Canada for meetings on trade and investment this week, starting today with a discussion with Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu.

Goyal says the relationship between Canada and India will be very important in the coming years and both countries are keen to reach a free trade agreement by the end of the year.

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He is accompanied by more than 100 senior business representatives from industries including mining, energy, automotive and aerospace, in what India is calling its largest-ever business delegation to Canada.

Sidhu says the countries have been engaging in “WhatsApp diplomacy” and that Canada will be sending a delegation to India to continue trade talks later this year.

Carney visited Mumbai and New Delhi in March after making resetting relations with India a priority after he became prime minister in 2025.