Tag: CEPA

Canada’s relationship with India is often told as a single national story. This report argues it is ten stories at once. It examines how Canada’s provinces, each with a distinct industrial base, resource endowment, and set of India-facing opportunities, are quietly driving one of the most consequential bilateral relationships of the coming decade.

The roundtable assessed India–Canada relations following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s February–March 2026 visit to India, which consolidated the recent diplomatic reset. Discussions focused on CEPA negotiations, energy and critical minerals cooperation, the CAD 2.6 billion uranium agreement, talent mobility, and growing defence collaboration, while examining prospects for sustained economic and Indo-Pacific cooperation.

Co-organized by APFC, this Track 1.5 dialogue examined practical pathways for advancing Canada–India defence cooperation amid renewed diplomatic engagement and parallel procurement reforms. Discussions focused on training and simulation, sustainment and MRO, cyber-enabled systems, space-based ISR, trusted electronics, and critical minerals supply-chain collaboration.

India-Canada bilateral trade reached CAD 30.9 billion in 2024 but remains underutilized. Despite 2023 diplomatic tensions, economic ties proved resilient. A proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) could add CAD 8.8 billion in trade by 2035. Priority sectors include pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, agriculture, IT services, and clean energy, offering mutual strategic benefits.

The closed-door discussion examined ways to safeguard India–Canada ties amid Nijjar’s upcoming trial, focusing on confidence-building measures, diplomatic off-ramps, and media de-escalation. Participants discussed managing political sensitivities during Canada’s election year, planning high-level engagements, and insulating business and people-to-people links from political shocks to preserve recent positive momentum.

This roundtable explored the India-Canada relationship amid growing diplomatic tensions, despite strong trade and educational ties. Experts examined challenges like diaspora politics and geopolitical shifts, while identifying opportunities for cooperation in climate action, technology, and the Indo-Pacific. The discussion aimed to rebuild trust and chart a constructive, forward-looking partnership.