India, Canada trade ministers hold discussions on ways to strengthen economic ties

13 Oct 2025 Evaluate

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal hold discussions with his Canadian counterpart Maninder Sidhu on ways to strengthen economic ties between the two countries. Goyal said ‘We discussed ways to find mutually beneficial opportunities for our businesses to capitalise on the complementarities offered by our two economies. I emphasised that economic, trade and investment ties between India and Canada should be grounded in the principles of mutual respect, trust and balance’.

The Canada's Minister of International Trade said that he spoke with India's Minister of Commerce and Industry to advance discussions on deepening economic engagement and increasing connectivity between the countries. He said ‘Together, we're exploring new trade opportunities in clean technology, AI, agriculture, critical minerals, and other key sectors’. The discussions are important as in 2023, Canada had paused negotiations for a free trade agreement with India.

In March 2022, the two countries had re-launched negotiations for an interim agreement, officially dubbed as Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA). Over half a dozen rounds of talks have been held on the trade pact so far. Normally in a trade agreement, two countries significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods traded between them. They also liberalise norms for promoting trade in services and attract investments. India's exports to Canada rose by 9.8% to $4.22 billion in 2024-25 from $3.84 billion in 2023-24. Imports, however, dipped by 2.33% to $4.44 billion in the last fiscal from $4.55 billion in 2023-24.

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