Delegation of Canadian CEOs will visit India after two years as tension eases

Hindustan Times

03-07-2025

Toronto: After a hiatus of two years due to bilateral tensions, a formal delegation of Canadian CEOs will visit India this winter. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney shake hands during a meeting at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on June 17. (AP)
The last such delegation travelled to India in the summer of 2023, at a time when India and Canada were in the midst of negotiations over an Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA).
There have been no such visits since then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement in the House of Commons on September 18, 2023 that there were 'credible allegations' of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, three months earlier.
The visit will happen either later this year or early next year, Business Council of Canada (BCC) president and CEO Goldy Hyder said. He, along with a colleague, will travel to India this month to lay the groundwork for the delegation's trip.
'As encouraged by both governments, Canadian and Indian business leaders have remained engaged and continue to work together to strengthen bilateral commercial ties,' he said.
A reset has been signalled by both countries, with the bilateral meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the margins of the G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis on June 17.
A readout of that meeting issued by the Canadian Prime Minister's Office at the time said, 'They discussed strong and historic ties between our peoples, partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, and significant commercial links between Canada and India – including partnerships in economic growth, supply chains, and the energy transformation.'
'The leaders also discussed opportunities to deepen engagement in areas such as technology, the digital transition, food security, and critical minerals,' it added.
'Our recommendation, particularly in the political environment in which we find ourselves, is it's really important to have friends and the diversification agenda that the (Canadian) government has laid out has to include it (India),' Hyder said.
'As a business council we have good relationships in India, with our counterparts, relationships with governments both federally and state level, and it's very important to keep that drumbeat sustained over a period of time,' he said.
CEOs of major Canadian corporates have travelled to India during this period and a couple have even held private meetings with Modi, he said.
Despite the troubled diplomatic relationship, trade was ringfenced by both governments. Trade in goods grew from CA$10.74 billion in 2023 to CA$11.30 billion in 2024. At CA$2.35 billion for the first four months of 2025, India's exports to Canada is on track to surpass the 2024 figure of CA$5.93 billion.
Prior to the diplomatic row between the two counties, Canada's then Minister of International Trade Mary Ng was scheduled to lead a trade mission to India in October 2023.That trip was obviously scrapped. However, there is no confirmation at this time whether her successor in that ministry, Maninder Sidhu, will be associated with the forthcoming visit.