India-Canada Trade Talks To Start In March With PM Carney’s Delhi Visit, Weeks After NSA Doval’s Ottawa Trip

As Canada looks for strong, sustainable ties amig tariff tensions with the United States, it seems to be viewing India with a sense of respect. And the feeling is mutual. Both the sides are taking steps towards repairing their ties which came under a strain in 2023 following the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India and Canada are preparing for a flurry of high-level engagements that signal a cautious but clear thaw in bilateral ties, following nearly two years of diplomatic strain triggered by the Nijjar controversy. From national security consultations to trade, energy and technology deals, both sides appear keen to turn the page.

While Canadian Prime Minister is scheduled to visit India in the coming months, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also expected to travel to Ottawa early next month. His visit would come less than six months after Canada’s top intelligence official visited New Delhi.

Why is Ajit Doval’s Canada visit significant?

Doval’s upcoming Canada visit is part of an ongoing Security and Law Enforcement Dialogue, aimed at rebuilding trust at the highest levels. His trip could also set the tone for India-Canada talks going ahead as it will come just weeks before Canadian PM Carney’s maiden bilateral visit to India, underscoring a coordinated push to stabilise relations.

According to India’s High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik, the dialogue is centred on security, public safety, and law-and-order concerns in both countries. “The objective is to ensure that the territory of each country is not misused by terrorist organisations, criminal gangs and other negative elements against the other country,” Patnaik told Hindustan Times.

A key Indian concern remains the alleged use of Canadian soil by pro-Khalistan extremist elements to export separatism to Punjab. Canada, meanwhile, is grappling with a surge in violent extortion-linked incidents, often attributed to organised crime networks such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

Can this engagement repair trust after the Nijjar fallout?

Trust between the two countries collapsed after former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau told Parliament in September 2023 that there were “credible allegations” linking Indian agents to the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Nijjar in British Columbia. India dismissed the claims as “absurd” and “motivated.”

Drouin later described her meeting with Doval last year as “productive,” saying both sides had established a communication channel to address mutual concerns.“We have a common understanding and a common goal,” she said, pointing to India’s insistence on respect for territorial integrity and Canada’s demand for safer streets.

Patnaik confirmed that a Canadian court case against four accused in Nijjar’s killing is ongoing. “If evidence comes out that there were Indians involved, India will take action,” he said.

Canadian PM Mark Carney’s India Visit: What could it deliver?

Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to visit India in the first week of March, during which he is likely to sign agreements spanning uranium and nuclear energy; oil, gas and critical minerals; artificial intelligence and quantum computing; along with education and cultural exchanges.

A 10-year uranium supply deal worth C$2.8 billion is also under discussion, subject to international safeguards, news agency Reuters reported. Canada’s Energy Minister Tim Hodgson, currently in India, said New Delhi is a “large and growing” economy and a major user of critical minerals that Canada can supply.

Trade to be the new anchor of India-Canada relationship?

Yes, it could be so as formal negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are expected to begin in March 2026, after stalled trade talks were revived in November. Both sides have expressed confidence that CEPA could more than double bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030, covering goods, services, investment, agriculture, digital trade and mobility.

Carney and PM Narendra Modi, following the 7^th Ministerial Dialogue in November 2025, also agreed to enhance diplomatic staffing, strengthen people-to-people ties, and continue regular ministerial and business exchanges.

Carney, Canada’s 24th prime minister, is actively diversifying Ottawa’s partnerships amid global uncertainty and pressure from the US. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, he declared that “the old rules-based order is over,” urging middle powers to build new coalitions.

While he recently visited China to ease trade frictions, Carney has ruled out a free trade agreement with Beijing, citing commitments under the USMCA. Resetting ties with India, officials say, is a strategic priority within that broader recalibration.