India–Canada Ties Get Strategic Push as Prime Minister’s Visit Yields Major Agreements Across Trade, Energy and Technology

The visit of the Prime Minister of Canada to India has resulted in a wide-ranging set of agreements and strategic announcements aimed at resetting and deepening bilateral ties across trade, technology, energy, education, defence, and culture. The outcomes signal a renewed push to expand economic engagement and strengthen long-term cooperation between the two democracies.

At the forefront of the visit was the finalisation of the Terms of Reference for the India–Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA). The framework clears the way for formal negotiations toward an ambitious and mutually beneficial trade pact covering goods, services, and other policy areas. Once concluded, the CEPA is expected to significantly enhance bilateral economic engagement and accelerate progress toward the shared goal of achieving USD 50 billion in bilateral trade by 2030.

In a significant move reflecting growing collaboration in emerging technologies, India, Canada and Australia signed a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding under the Australia–Canada–India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership. The agreement seeks to advance cooperation in critical and frontier technologies, innovation ecosystems, and collaborative research platforms.

Food security and nutritional innovation also featured prominently. A Declaration of Intent was signed to establish a Joint Pulse Protein Centre of Excellence at the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management Kundli. The centre will focus on advanced protein extraction, fortified pulse products, and strengthening nutrition-sensitive food systems through applied innovation.

Energy cooperation received a major boost with a long-term commercial contract between India’s Department of Atomic Energy and Canadian firm Cameco for the supply of uranium ore concentrates. The agreement is expected to support India’s expanding nuclear power programme and contribute to its long-term goal of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 under the Viksit Bharat vision.

Education and talent mobility emerged as another pillar of cooperation. The All India Council for Technical Education signed an MoU with Mitacs to facilitate fully funded Globalink Research Internships for up to 300 Indian students annually for three years beginning in 2027. The programme will allow selected students to undertake 12-week research internships at Canadian universities across disciplines ranging from engineering and sciences to humanities and social sciences.

Strategic collaboration on critical minerals was formalised through a dedicated MoU aimed at building secure and resilient supply chains. The agreement promotes investment, project identification, and technical exchange in exploration, mining, beneficiation, and processing of critical and strategic minerals — an area of increasing geopolitical and industrial importance.

Renewable energy cooperation was strengthened through a separate MoU encouraging joint efforts in solar, wind, biomass, and energy storage technologies, alongside capacity building and knowledge sharing initiatives. Cultural cooperation also received renewed emphasis, with both countries committing to enhance people-to-people ties through performing arts, visual arts, creative industries, and co-curated institutional partnerships.

Beyond formal agreements, several key announcements underscored the broader strategic reset. Twenty-four institutional partnerships were concluded between universities in areas including artificial intelligence, healthcare, agriculture, and innovation. Canada announced its intention to join the Global Biofuels Alliance and the International Solar Alliance, reflecting alignment on clean energy transitions. India also expressed support for Canada’s entry into the Indian Ocean Rim Association as a Dialogue Partner.

Institutional mechanisms for sustained engagement were reinforced through the reconstitution of the India–Canada CEO Forum, the establishment of an India–Canada Parliament Friendship Group, and the launch of a dedicated India–Canada Defence Dialogue. Additionally, Universities Canada announced a new Joint Talent and Innovation Strategy aimed at strengthening long-term academic and research collaboration.

Canada will also participate in the upcoming Bharat Tribes Fest 2026 in New Delhi later this month, further highlighting the cultural dimension of the partnership.

Taken together, the outcomes of the visit reflect a comprehensive effort to expand cooperation across strategic, economic, technological, and cultural domains. With negotiations on CEPA set to begin and multiple sectoral partnerships now formalised, the visit marks a significant step toward revitalising India–Canada relations and positioning the partnership for sustained growth in the decade ahead.

Source: PIB