Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal arrived in Ottawa on 25 May 2026 leading a 150 member Indian business delegation for a three day visit to Canada aimed at accelerating negotiations on the India Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and tripling bilateral trade to US dollar 50 billion by 2030. The visit began with high level engagements in Ottawa on 25 May 2026 followed by a two day programme in Toronto from 26 to 27 May 2026 with meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu. After the bilateral meeting on 26 May 2026 both sides agreed to advance the timeline for concluding CEPA to November 2026 from the earlier December timeline so that the agreement can be delivered before the Group of Twenty Leaders Summit. CEPA is envisaged as a comprehensive trade and investment agreement covering goods, services, investment, digital trade, critical minerals, energy security, resilient supply chains, infrastructure investments, technology cooperation, mobility and stronger business partnerships. India Canada bilateral trade in goods stood at around US dollar 8.4 billion in 2024-25 with services trade adding another US dollar 8 billion. Canada is home to one of the largest Indian diaspora populations of over 1.6 million persons of Indian origin and is the third largest source of foreign students in India higher education system. The two countries had launched negotiations for the Early Progress Trade Agreement and a comprehensive trade pact in 2010 but talks slowed after diplomatic tensions in 2023. The current re engagement marks a substantive normalisation of economic ties under Prime Minister Carney, with focus on critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earths in which Canada has significant reserves.