- Canada and India push to restart stalled trade deal discussions
- Anita Anand cites new foreign policy and changing global economy
Hyderabad: Canada moved to revive its trade talks with India after a long phase of strained ties. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said both countries will work quickly to advance a deal. Her remarks came after two years of tension and changing global economic trends. She explained that Canada now follows a new foreign policy that responds to wider market shifts.
Anand spoke soon after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Group of 20 summit in South Africa. The two leaders agreed to restart talks for a new trade deal. Relations had been tense since Canadian police accused New Delhi of playing a role in the June 2023 killing of a Canadian Sikh activist near Vancouver. However, both sides are now moving to reset the dialogue and improve cooperation.
“The leaders were adamant that this work proceed as quickly as possible so that timing is going to be expeditious,” Anand said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. She also said Carney will visit India early next year. She added that the prime minister aims to double non US trade over the next decade. Canada sends more than 75 per cent of its exports to the United States. Many of those goods fall under the USMCA agreement, which is up for review in 2026. Therefore, Canada wants to widen its trade network.
“This is a completely new approach to foreign policy that is responsive to the global economic environment in which we find ourselves,” Anand said. “There is a new government, a new foreign policy, a new prime minister and a new world order where countries are becoming more protectionist and this is a moment for Canada as a trading nation.”
She also said Canada seeks improved ties with Beijing. Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping took a step toward fixing their strained ties during a meeting at the Asia Pacific summit. Meanwhile, she recalled that Ottawa suspended trade talks with India in 2023 after public allegations linked the Indian government to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Four Indian nationals were later charged and now await trial in Canada.
Relations, however, have improved. Carney invited Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta, and both countries restored their top diplomats in August. Anand said this progress shows a steady rebuild. She also noted that both countries expect to double bilateral trade to USD50 billion by 2030. She said Canada is India’s seventh largest trade partner and among the biggest foreign investors in India.
Anand also mentioned past tensions with former US President Donald Trump. Trade talks stalled after an Ontario government advertisement upset him. She said Canada is still ready to resume discussions with the United States. “We are operating under the fact that the United States has fundamentally changed all of its trading relationships,” Anand said. “We look forward to getting back to the table.”
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