Canadian Ministers Anita Anand and Maninder Sidhu to Visit India With 300-Member Trade Missionਕੈਨੇਡਾ ਦੇ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਅਨੀਤਾ ਆਨੰਦ ਅਤੇ ਮਨਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੱਧੂ 300 ਮੈਂਬਰੀ ਵਪਾਰ ਮਿਸ਼ਨ ਨਾਲ ਭਾਰਤ ਜਾਣਗੇ

Two of Canada's senior ministers, Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, both of Indian origin, will travel to India next week as Ottawa and New Delhi push to close a long-pending trade pact and rebuild a relationship that fractured after 2023. Officials say Delhi is also weighing Prime Minister Mark Carney as a possible chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2027.

What is on the ministers' agenda?

Anand will hold a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while Sidhu will meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, officials told The Indian Express on Saturday. Sources said there is a strong possibility the two will also meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The central task is speeding up negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), a trade pact both countries want to conclude. Four rounds of negotiations have finished, and the fifth is underway in Ottawa, where an Indian team has been in talks since October 5.

What is the Team Canada Trade Mission?

Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will lead nearly 300 business delegates to India from October 12 to 17, with stops in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The Canadian government called it the country's largest commercial engagement in India in more than 30 years. The delegation will span aerospace and space, clean technology and energy transition, information and communication technologies, life sciences and agri-food. Sidhu said he was headed to India to secure new opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers in one of the world's fastest-growing markets, adding that matching Canadian expertise with Indian demand would help more than double two-way trade to $70 billion by 2030. In 2025, bilateral trade in goods and services stood at $30.4 billion, including $11 billion in merchandise.

Why does the Republic Day invite matter?

Inviting a Canadian prime minister as the Republic Day chief guest would mark a full reset after years of diplomatic freeze. Sources said the invitation is still at an early stage and would likely depend on the trade pact moving toward conclusion. Modi is expected to visit Canada in December, around the G20 leaders' summit the United States will host on December 14 and 15 at the Trump National Doral resort in Doral, Florida.

How did Canada-India relations get here?

Carney visited India from February 27 to March 2 this year, the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2018. The two sides concluded agreements on critical minerals and uranium ore supply, and restored high commissioners after both had expelled diplomats. The thaw began when Carney invited Modi to the G7 outreach session at Kananaskis in June 2025. Ties had collapsed in 2023 after then prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. India denied the allegation and accused Canada of sheltering Sikh separatists. For the large Punjabi diaspora in Canada, the return of minister-level visits and a possible Carney trip to Delhi signals a relationship moving back toward normal.

Who is Maninder Sidhu?

Maninder Sidhu is Canada's Minister of International Trade. He will lead the Team Canada Trade Mission of nearly 300 business delegates to Mumbai and Bengaluru from October 12 to 17, 2026.

When is the Team Canada Trade Mission?

The mission runs from October 12 to 17, 2026, with stops in Mumbai and Bengaluru. It is Canada's largest trade delegation to India in more than 30 years.

What is CEPA?

CEPA is the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement under negotiation between Canada and India. Four rounds have concluded, a fifth is underway in Ottawa, and both sides aim to wrap it up by the end of the year.

Could Mark Carney be the Republic Day chief guest?

Officials say Delhi is considering the idea for January 26, 2027, but the invitation is still at an early stage and will likely depend on progress in the trade talks.