India and Canada have launched the Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum as a key platform that brings together Canadian and Indian business leaders and fosters new commercial partnerships and increased business engagement, according to the joint statement issued on Friday.
Canada’s International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu and Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal have reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties to deliver tangible outcomes that support economic growth and increased commercial opportunities for businesses in both countries, the statement highlighted.
Building on the momentum generated through recent ministerial engagement, Sidhu welcomed Goyal and the largest Indian delegation ever sent anywhere in the world, and underscored opportunities to deepen cooperation across complementary sectors such as clean energy, critical minerals, agri‑food, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and skills development.
Both Ministers reiterated their commitment to advancing an ambitious and mutually beneficial Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). They affirmed their shared objective of concluding negotiations by the end of this year.
They underscored CEPA’s importance in expanding market access, supporting resilient supply chains, and enabling two‑way economic growth.
The Ministers also emphasised the importance of enhancing connectivity between India and Canada — including people‑to‑people ties, business mobility, and direct commercial linkages — as essential enablers of expanded trade and investment.
Sidhu confirmed that Canada will lead a Team Canada Trade Mission to India later this year, reflecting strong interest among Canadian businesses in expanding their presence in the Indian market and a shared ambition to deepen commercial partnerships.
Canada and India agreed to continue encouraging long‑term, high‑quality investment in priority sectors and to support deeper collaboration between businesses, innovators, and institutional partners in both countries.
The Ministers committed to maintaining regular dialogue and advancing concrete outcomes in the months ahead.
On May 26, Goyal had commenced his three-day visit to Canada, as New Delhi and Ottawa focus on resetting their ties with an aim to conclude CEPA by the end of this year.
Goyal had said that India not only aims to conclude the trade agreement by the end of this year but also wants to triple the trade between the two countries by 2030.
