The Canadian Prime Minister will depart for Mumbai at 10:00 am Ottawa time (8:30 pm IST). This would be his first visit to India as PM
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to begin an official visit to India from February 26 to March 7, in an attempt to reset ties between the two nations after a period of strained relations. His visit will begin in Mumbai, where he is scheduled to meet business leaders to explore opportunities for deeper economic cooperation. He will then travel to New Delhi for high-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2.
The discussions are expected to focus on strengthening collaboration in key sectors such as clean energy, artificial intelligence, defence, and advanced technology.
A major objective of the visit is to accelerate negotiations on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which aims to boost bilateral trade and investment. Officials have emphasised India’s growing global economic influence and its importance as a strategic partner for Canada.
Bilateral trade between the two countries reached $30.8 billion in 2024, making India Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner. Both leaders have also expressed ambitions to increase trade to $50 billion by 2030.
Canada softens stance
Ahead of Carney’s upcoming visit, the Canadian government has now said it no longer believes India is linked to violent crimes in Canada. Officials indicated that while past investigations examined possible foreign interference and criminal links, current assessments no longer connect the Indian government to ongoing violent activities. The clarification comes as Ottawa seeks to stabilise relations and re-engage with India through diplomacy and economic cooperation.
The statement came during a briefing with journalists ahead of Carney’s trip, with senior government officials, cited by Canadian English daily Toronto Star, describing progress in security talks and collaboration between Ottawa and New Delhi.
“We have a very robust diplomatic engagement, including between national security advisers, and I think we can say we’re confident that that activity is not continuing,” one of the senior officials, who did not want to be named, said on Wednesday.
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