Thursday, 24 September 2026 · Full edition

India and Canada target year-end trade deal ahead of PM Modi's planned December visit

A formal portrait of Narendra Modi visiting the library of the Canadian Parliament.
A formal portrait of Narendra Modi visiting the library of the Canadian Parliament. · Prime Minister's Office / Wikimedia CommonsGODL-India

What happened

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Canada in December, as both countries aim to finalize a trade deal by year-end. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal stated negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement are progressing swiftly, with the next round of talks starting October 5.

Why it matters

Finalizing the pact by year-end would establish clear legal and regulatory rules for cross-border commerce between India and Canada. For companies operating across both markets, binding commercial terms reduce regulatory uncertainty for long-term investments.

Bigger picture

The accelerated negotiations signal a renewed diplomatic and economic engagement between Ottawa and New Delhi, as both nations seek structured institutional ties to deepen long-term commercial links.

Watch next

Monitor the outcome of the trade negotiation round starting October 5 and subsequent updates on Prime Minister Modi's planned December visit.

Back to today in 60 seconds

Daily brief + free guide

Understand today. Keep the guide.

Get the day’s most important developments explained every morning. Subscribe and we’ll also send you The World, Explained—an India-first guide to economics, markets, business and geopolitics.

Make 7AM a habitPut the brief one tap from your morning.No app-store download. Opens like an app from your home screen.

Never miss the editionGet one quiet alert when the brief is ready.No breaking-news noise and no repeated notifications.

One alert after each edition is successfully published.