Canada optimistic about concluding trade talks with India by year-end, minister says

Canada's trade minister Maninder Sidhu said on Saturday that his government is hopeful of finishing talks on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with India by the close of this year. Business Recorder, citing a Reuters interview conducted in Mumbai, quoted him as feeling upbeat that the deal can be completed within the coming months. Prime Minister Mark Carney had earlier said, during a March visit to New Delhi, that both countries aimed to agree a free trade pact within the same timeframe.

Energy is a central theme of the discussions, with Sidhu pointing to a Shell-led LNG export plant that opened in Canada last year and five more projects at different development stages. He said Indian companies are holding talks about gaining access to those projects and investing in them to secure supply, though he declined to give specifics. Nuclear power is also on the agenda, as India seeks a large expansion of its capacity and Canada highlights its long experience in the sector.

Indian trade negotiators are due in Canada next month, and leaders may meet at the G-20 gathering in December, Sidhu said. He also said large Indian groups, including Reliance Industries, Mahindra and Mahindra and the JSW Group, are exploring critical mineral investments in Canada to secure supply chains, without giving details.