Ottawa, October 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada towards the end of this year, with India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, describing the proposed trip as “almost confirmed” amid efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and accelerate trade negotiations.
In an interview with CPAC’s Open Question, hosted by Marc-Andre Cossette and published on October 9, Patnaik said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney had confirmed the visit.
“Prime Minister (Mark) Carney has confirmed it. Prime Minister Modi will be visiting Canada towards the end of the year,” the envoy said.
He described the proposed visit as a sign of the improvement in bilateral ties, calling the relationship between the two countries increasingly strong and dynamic.
The remarks come as Canadian International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu leads a Team Canada Trade Mission to India from October 12 to 17. The delegation, comprising nearly 300 participants, is visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru. Ottawa has described it as the largest Canadian trade delegation to India in more than 30 years.
Patnaik also expressed confidence that negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) would conclude before the first anniversary of its launch, which he linked to November 21, when Modi and Carney met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg.
“I think before the one year is complete we’ll be able to finalise the agreement,” he said, describing the negotiations as potentially among the fastest India had concluded with another country.
According to Patnaik, improved mutual trust and experience gained during earlier rounds of negotiations had helped accelerate the process.
“Negotiations move at the speed of trust. And because the trust factor is much higher today, our negotiations are much faster,” he said.
India and Canada aim to double bilateral trade to $70 billion within five years. Patnaik said India was seeking a zero-tariff regime under the proposed agreement, particularly in sectors such as textiles, leather, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, where he said Indian exporters faced tariffs that were not imposed by some other countries.
He also highlighted opportunities for expanding Indian imports from Canada, including oil, natural gas, agricultural products and uranium.
On energy cooperation, Patnaik said India wanted to increase purchases of Canadian crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), including butane and propane.
However, he pointed to concerns over Canada’s ability to deliver energy supplies reliably, citing limitations in pipelines, ports and liquefaction terminals. He said these issues had previously raised questions about whether Canada could meet delivery commitments on time.
Patnaik said he now saw a changing Canada under Carney, referring to the establishment of a major projects office and the pace of legislative action.
He described Canada as strategically important to India because of its close economic links with the United States and its role as a gateway to the North American market.
Calling India an economy worth nearly $4 trillion with ambitions to grow to around $25 trillion by 2047, Patnaik described Canada as an “energy superpower”.
He also said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand had met more than 12 times over the past year, reflecting increased diplomatic engagement.
Relations between India and Canada deteriorated sharply in 2023 after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged a potential link between Indian government agents and the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India rejected the allegation as absurd.
The anticipated Modi visit and the ongoing trade negotiations signal efforts by both countries to expand economic cooperation following the diplomatic tensions.
FOLLOW NOW
