At a business reception in Bengaluru, organised as part of the Team Canada Trade Mission to India, Sidhu highlighted opportunities for collaboration in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, aviation infrastructure, digital innovation, sustainability and smart mobility. He also referred to Canadian companies already present in India, including Kinaxis, OpenText, CGI, CAE, Magellan Aerospace, MDA Space and BCE Global Tech.
India and Canada have signed commercial agreements and MoUs in Karnataka while reaffirming plans to conclude CEPA talks by end-2026.
The fifth round in Ottawa covered goods, services, investment, rules of origin, intellectual property and trade remedies; the next is due in New Delhi in early November.
Goods trade was $7.95 billion in 2025-26, down 8.23 per cent.
Sidhu outlined Canada’s ambition to double exports to non-US markets over the next decade and described India as a market Canadian companies could not ignore. He cited India’s annual economic growth of around 7 per cent, population of 1.4 billion and potential to become the world’s third-largest economy as factors behind its importance to Canada’s export plans.
Aviation and transport were also cited as areas of existing commercial engagement. Sidhu referred to his visit to Terminal 2 of Bengaluru airport and its planned expansion, and cited Fairfax Financial’s investments in the airport and work by Canadian companies Genetec, Transoft Solutions and RBH Access at the airport as examples of current business links, said local media reports.
The fifth round of CEPA negotiations was held in Ottawa from October 5 to October 9. Discussions covered market access for goods and services, investment parameters, rules of origin, intellectual property rights and trade remedies.
The next negotiating round is scheduled to take place in New Delhi in early November. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Sidhu discussed the pact on October 13 and agreed to advance the talks.
CEPA is a form of free trade agreement under which trading partners significantly reduce or eliminate import duties on the maximum number of goods traded and ease norms for services and investment.
Government data put bilateral trade at $7,956.43 million in FY26. Bilateral goods trade declined 8.23 per cent to $7.95 billion in 2025-26 from $8.7 billion in 2024-25, according to the government data. Official estimates project that the proposed pact could raise bilateral trade by $4.4 billion to $6.5 billion and generate a gross domestic product (GDP) gain of $3.8 billion to $5.9 billion for Canada by 2035.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
