New Delhi, May 29 (IANS) India and Canada have reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening bilateral trade and investment ties, to deliver tangible outcomes that support economic growth and increased commercial opportunities for businesses in both countries, an official statement said on Friday.

Building on the momentum generated through recent ministerial engagement, Canadian Minister Maninder Sidhu welcomed Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and the largest Indian delegation ever sent anywhere in the world, and underscored opportunities to deepen cooperation across complementary sectors such as clean energy, critical minerals, agri‑food, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and skills development.

Minister Sidhu confirmed that Canada will lead a ‘Team Canada Trade Mission’ to India later this year, reflecting the strong interest of Canadian businesses in expanding their presence in the Indian market and the shared ambition to deepen commercial partnerships.

“Both Ministers reiterated their commitment to advancing an ambitious and mutually beneficial Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and affirmed their shared objective of concluding negotiations by the end of this year. They underscored CEPA’s importance in expanding market access, supporting resilient supply chains, and enabling two‑way economic growth,” according to a Commerce Ministry statement.

They launched the Canada-India Trade and Investment Forum as a key platform that brings together Canadian and Indian business leaders and fosters new commercial partnerships and increased business engagement.

According to the government, they also emphasised the importance of enhancing connectivity between India and Canada — including people‑to‑people ties, business mobility, and direct commercial linkages — as essential enablers of expanded trade and investment.

Canada and India agreed to continue encouraging long‑term, high‑quality investment in priority sectors and to support deeper collaboration between businesses, innovators, and institutional partners in both countries.

The ministers committed to maintaining regular dialogue and advancing concrete outcomes in the months ahead, said the statement.

—IANS

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