Prime Minister Mark Carney will arrive in India on February 26 in the first leg of his three-nation visit to the Indo-Pacific, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office has said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney will arrive in India on February 26 in the first leg of his three-nation visit to the Indo-Pacific, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office announced on Monday.
The visit has come at a time when Carney is working towards mending the India-Canada relationship that his predecessor, Justin Trudeau,
plunged to its lowest point, and reaching a trade deal with India. After India, he will visit Australia and Japan.
The PMO said that Carney will work “to unlock new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses across trade, energy, technology, and defence”.
The PMO added, “Through these visits to three of Canada’s strongest Indo-Pacific partners, the Prime Minister will deepen regional ties that are critical to our security and prosperity.”
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Since Carney assumed office last year, India and Canada have resumed high-level engagements, restoring ambassadors to each other’s capital, and resumed dialogue on security and trade. Last year, the two sides agreed to launch negotiations for a trade deal.
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The PMO said that Carney will first visit Mumbai and then Delhi where he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Carney’s talks with Modi will “focus on elevating and expanding the Canada-India relationship” in areas like trade, energy, technology and artificial intelligence (AI), talent and culture, and defence, the PMO said.
Carney will also meet business leaders to identify investment opportunities in Canada and create new partnerships between India and Canada, the PMO said.
As US President Donald Trump has waged a tariff war that has hit Canada particularly hard, Carney has turned to Europe and Indo-Pacific to diversify Canada’s trade and reduce dependence on the United States. Such an expansion of relationships is also an attempt to strengthen Canada’s position politically as Trump has waged a coercive campaign against Canada, declaring he would annex the country and make it the 51st American state.
Under the trade deal that Carney is eying, Canada wants to more than double the bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030.
Moreover, India, Canada, and Australia last year entered into a new trilateral technology and innovation partnership for a deeper strategic collaboration on critical and emerging technologies and diversifying supply chains.
In Australia, Carney will visit Sydney and Canberra and hold talks with PM Anthony Albanese. His engagements there will focus on deepening cooperation on defence and maritime security, critical minerals, trade, and advanced technologies, including AI. He will also address to both the houses of the parliament.
Carney will also meet business leaders and investors to attract new capital into Canada and support two-way trade and investment with Australia, the PMO said.
In Japan, Carney will meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo “to strengthen mutual investment and partnerships in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals, and food security”, the PMO said.
Carney and Takaichi will also discuss strengthening joint efforts on security and defence, including to support a free and open Indo-Pacific, the PMO said.
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