Story perspectives

Canada-India CEPA talks target 2026 deal signing

By Drooid · Oct 14, 2026, 4:19 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Canada and India are negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, targeting completion by the end of 2026.
Canada aims to double bilateral trade to C$70 billion by 2030, up from C$30.4 billion in 2025.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand said the CEPA is central to reducing Canada’s reliance on the United States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Canada in December to sign the completed CEPA.

History

Historical Context

When the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994, the United States, Canada, and Mexico created a $300 billion trilateral market. By 2008, NAFTA boosted Canadian exports to the United States by 45 percent, prompting Ottawa to seek diversification beyond its southern neighbor. Today, Foreign Minister Anita Anand and Prime Minister Narendra Modi negotiate a CEPA to lift Canada-India trade from C$30.4 billion in 2025 to C$70 billion by 2030. If successful, the pact could echo NAFTA’s market-integration model, reshaping North-South trade flows and reducing Canada’s economic reliance on the United States.

1 of 2

Story summary

Canada and India are negotiating a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, targeting completion by the end of 2026.
Canada aims to double bilateral trade to C$70 billion by 2030, up from C$30.4 billion in 2025.
Foreign Minister Anita Anand said the CEPA is central to reducing Canada’s reliance on the United States.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to Canada in December to sign the completed CEPA.

1 / 2