Piyush Goyal meets Canada’s Trade Minister in Mumbai, CEPA talks in focus

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met Sidhu and described the discussions as “productive”.

“Had a productive meeting with Mr. Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, Canada, on advancing the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA),” Goyal wrote on X.

Sharing details of the meeting, Goyal said both sides reaffirmed their leadership’s commitment to expediting negotiations and concluding the CEPA at the earliest.

“Both sides reaffirmed our leadership's commitment to expedite negotiations and conclude CEPA at the earliest, unlocking new opportunities across trade in goods, services, and investment, among others,” he said.

Goyal added that an early conclusion of the India-Canada CEPA would help realise the shared vision of significantly increasing bilateral trade and deepening the economic partnership between the two countries.

During his visit, Sidhu will also hold business outreach meetings aimed at advancing Canada’s trade objectives in the region.

After Mumbai, Sidhu will travel to Manila, Philippines, where he will participate in the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers-Canada Consultation on September 21-22, 2026.

He is scheduled to meet ASEAN partners to advance negotiations for an ASEAN-Canada free trade agreement, as well as Filipino counterparts to advance negotiations towards a Canada-Philippines free trade agreement.

“I look forward to joining my negotiating teams in India and the Philippines for the ASEAN Economic Ministers–Canada Consultations, as we build momentum and work towards concluding trade agreements with each of these partners,” Sidhu said.

“India, ASEAN, and the Philippines are among the fastest-growing economies in the world. I will be meeting with government and business leaders to strengthen our trade relationships and attract new investment to Canada,” he added.

Sidhu said Canada currently has preferential access to a market of 1.5 billion consumers and that concluding trade agreements with India, ASEAN and the Philippines would double that reach to 3 billion consumers.

Three rounds of negotiations for a Canada-India CEPA have been completed, laying the groundwork for a fourth round of talks scheduled for this week. Canada and India have set a shared objective of concluding the negotiations by the end of 2026.

According to a statement issued by the Canadian government, Canada aims to double its exports to markets beyond the United States over the next decade, including doubling two-way trade with India to $70 billion annually by 2030.

In 2025, two-way trade in goods and services between Canada and India totalled $30.4 billion, including $13.6 billion in merchandise trade.

In March, India and Canada launched negotiations for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA).

The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) were signed by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry and Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade of Canada on 2nd March 2026 and were exchanged in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada at Hyderabad House, New Delhi.

Prime Minister Modi had then highlighted that the goal for bilateral trade is to reach US$50 billion by 2030.