India, Canada to begin fifth round of CEPA talks on October 5
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India and Canada will begin the fifth round of negotiations for their proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Ottawa on October 5, with both sides aiming to conclude the trade pact by the end of 2026.
The five-day round, led by the chief negotiators of both countries, will continue until October 9.
The previous round ended in New Delhi on September 18, with officials now seeking to accelerate negotiations.
A CEPA seeks to reduce or eliminate customs duties on a large share of goods traded between participating countries. It can also facilitate the movement of skilled professionals, expand services trade and encourage cross-border investment.
India’s major exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronics and chemicals. Canada supplies India with pulses, coal, fertilisers, paper, crude petroleum, pearls and semi-precious stones.
The talks have gained momentum following an improvement in bilateral relations. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada around December. Canada’s Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is also scheduled to visit New Delhi later this month with a 300-member business delegation.
India and Canada launched CEPA negotiations in 2015 and held more than half a dozen rounds before suspending the process in 2017. Talks resumed in March 2022 but were paused again in 2023 after relations deteriorated following then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation of a potential Indian link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the allegation as “absurd”.
The two countries agreed to resume formal negotiations in November 2025, following a meeting between Modi and Carney on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June 2025.
Bilateral goods trade fell 8.23% to $7.95 billion in 2025-26 from $8.7 billion the previous year. India’s exports rose 10.63% to $4.67 billion, while imports fell 26.14% to $3.28 billion.