SYLLABUS
GS-2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
Context: At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney paid an official visit to India to revive bilateral relations and strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
More on the News
- This was Prime Minister Carney’s first visit to India after assuming office and the first bilateral visit by a Canadian Prime Minister since 2018, marking a key step in the normalization of India–Canada relations after recent diplomatic tensions.
- The leaders reviewed progress in the India–Canada Strategic Partnership and discussed cooperation in trade, energy, critical minerals, agriculture, education, innovation, and people-to-people ties.
- The visit also followed their earlier meetings during the G7 Summit 2025 in Kananaskis and the G20 Summit 2025 in Johannesburg, reinforcing efforts to rebuild strategic trust and expand economic collaboration.
Key Highlights of Visit
- Strategic Vision for Partnership: Both leaders reaffirmed commitment to rebuilding bilateral relations guided by the principle “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One Earth, One Family, One Future.”
- Emphasis on cooperation between two major democracies to support economic resilience, climate action, innovation, and Indo-Pacific stability.
- Trade and Economic Cooperation: Signing of Terms of Reference for negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).
- Target to expand bilateral trade to about USD 50 billion by 2030.
- Reconstitution of the India–Canada CEO Forum to strengthen private-sector engagement.
- Launch of a Finance Ministers’ Economic and Financial Dialogue focusing on fintech, payments modernisation, and financial cooperation.
- Energy and Critical Minerals Partnership: Long-term uranium supply agreement between India’s Department of Atomic Energy and Cameco.
- MoU on Critical Minerals Cooperation to build secure supply chains.
- Expansion of collaboration in nuclear energy, renewable energy, hydrogen, biofuels, battery storage and electricity systems.
- Canada announced its intention to join the International Solar Alliance and upgrade its participation in the Global Biofuel Alliance.
- Science, Technology and Space Cooperation: Trilateral MoU under the Australia–Canada–India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership.
- Relaunch of the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee.
- Collaboration in AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity, digital technologies and high-performance computing.
- Enhanced space cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Canadian Space Agency.
- Education, Talent and Research: MoU between All India Council for Technical Education and Mitacs for Globalink Research Internships enabling about 300 Indian students annually to work in Canada.
- Launch of a Joint Talent and Innovation Strategy to promote skills, mobility and research collaboration.
- 24 MoUs signed between universities and institutions in areas such as AI, healthcare, agriculture and innovation.
- Agriculture and Food Security: Agreement to strengthen cooperation in agri-technology, food processing and nutrition-sensitive food systems.
- Proposal to establish a Canada–India Pulse Protein Centre of Excellence at the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Kundli.
- Cultural and People-to-People Ties: Signing of an MoU on Cultural Cooperation to expand collaboration in arts, heritage and creative industries.
- Canada to participate in the Bharat Tribes Festival 2026 in New Delhi (17-30th March).
- Security and Defence Cooperation: Institutionalisation of an India–Canada Defence Dialogue.
- Cooperation in counter-terrorism, organised crime, cybercrime and immigration enforcement.
- Indo-Pacific and Multilateral Cooperation: Commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
- India supported Canada’s interest in joining the Indian Ocean Rim Association as a dialogue partner.
- Agreement to coordinate in global institutions on climate change, supply chain resilience and sustainable development.
India–Canada Bilateral Relations
| Diplomatic Relations: | Canada and India share more than 75 years of diplomatic relations and maintain deep people-to-people connections.Bilateral relations were formally designated as a “Strategic Partnership” in 2018, structured around Ministerial Dialogues on Foreign Policy, Trade and Investment, Finance, and Energy. |
| Economic Relations: | In 2024, India’s exports to Canada were CAD 8.02 billion and imports were CAD 5.30 billion.Total bilateral goods trade was CAD 13.32 billion. In January–September 2025, bilateral goods trade stood at CAD 9.96 billion (exports CAD 7.17 billion; imports CAD 2.79 billion).In 2024, services trade between the two countries reached CAD 19.61 billion (India’s exports CAD 3.49 billion; imports CAD 16.12 billion). In January–September 2025, services trade was CAD 14.15 billion.India exports pharmaceutical products, electronic goods, jewellery, gems and precious stones, seafood (shrimp), engineering goods and automobile parts to Canada.India imports minerals, pulses, potash, paper and paperboard, wood pulp, iron and aluminium scrap and gemstones from Canada. |
| Defence and Security Cooperation: | Defence cooperation between India and Canada has historically been limited, with rare bilateral military exercises. However, both countries have participated together in multilateral exercises such as Sea Dragon 2023, which also involved the United States, Japan, South Korea and other partners.India and Canada cooperate through the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism established in 1997.Security cooperation expanded through the Framework for Cooperation between India and Canada on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism, signed in February 2018. |
| Civil Nuclear Cooperation: | India and Canada signed a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in June 2010, which entered into force in September 2013.During Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada in April 2015, India’s Department of Atomic Energy and Cameco signed an agreement for the supply of uranium ore concentrate for 2015–2020. |
| Energy Cooperation: | Launched a Ministerial-level Energy Dialogue in September 2016.During Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to India in February 2018, the scope of the dialogue was expanded to include electricity, energy efficiency and renewable energy cooperation. |
| Space Cooperation: | ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix Corporation, has launched several Canadian nanosatellites. Canada’s first LEO satellite was launched on PSLV during ISRO’s 100th satellite launch in January 2018. |
| Science and Technology Cooperation: | India’s Department of Earth Sciences and Polar Canada cooperate in Arctic and cold-climate research. An MoU between NCPOR and Polar Canada was signed in February 2020.India’s Department of Biotechnology collaborates with Canada under the IC-IMPACTS programme on healthcare, agricultural biotechnology and waste management. |
| Legal Agreements: | India and Canada signed a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty in 1994 (operational in 1998) and an Extradition Treaty in 1987. |
| Indian Diaspora: | Canada hosts around 1.8 million Indo-Canadians and about 1 million Non-Resident Indians, forming one of the largest Indian diasporas globally. |