India and Canada Conclude Third Round of Trade Pact Talks, Aim for 2026 Finalisation

India and Canada concluded the third round of negotiations for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Ottawa on Friday (July 10, 2026). The two sides are working to finalise the pact within this year.

The five-day talks covered trade in goods, services, intellectual property, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and technical barriers to trade, among other areas.

"India and Canada concluded the 3rd Round of negotiations for the India-Canada CEPA in Ottawa from 6-10 July 2026. The discussions witnessed positive progress across multiple negotiating tracks, reaffirming the shared commitment of both countries to conclude the negotiations in 2026, in line with the vision of the leaders," the Department of Commerce said in a social media post.

The negotiations aim to increase bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030. In 2025-26, two-way trade declined by 8.22% to $7.95 billion (Indian exports: $4.67 billion, imports: $3.28 billion) from $8.66 billion in 2024-25 (exports: $4.22 billion, imports: $4.44 billion).

Canada has a population of 41.65 million (2025) and a GDP of $2.34 trillion at purchasing power parity. Key Indian exports include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods, and chemicals. Major imports from Canada include pulses, pearls and semi-precious stones, coal, fertiliser, paper, and petroleum crude.

India's services exports to Canada are led by telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services. Canada is home to over 4,25,000 Indian students and a large Indian diaspora.

Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Brij Mohan Mishra, leads the Indian negotiating team. Bruce Christie is Canada's chief negotiator.