CEPA: India, Canada Conclude Third Round of Third Round of Negotiations
The negotiations between the two countries are important, as the two sides have targeted to increase the bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030. In the crucial talks, joint secretary in the department of commerce, Brij Mohan Mishra, is learnt to be the chief negotiator from the Indian side, while Bruce Christie is chief negotiator from Canada
New Delhi: India and Canada concluded the third round of negotiations for the proposed comprehensive economic Partnership agreement (CEPA) in Ottawa on July 10, as the two sides look to wind up the talks this year itself. The negotiations in the five-day talks include trade in goods, services, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, intellectual property and technical barriers to trade, among others, according to the commerce ministry.
The negotiations between the two countries are important, as the two sides have targeted to increase the bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030. In the crucial talks, joint secretary in the department of commerce, Brij Mohan Mishra, is learnt to be the chief negotiator from the Indian side, while Bruce Christie is chief negotiator from Canada.
“India and Canada concluded the 3rd Round of negotiations for the India-Canada CEPA in Ottawa from 6-10 July 2026. The discussions witnessed positive progress across multiple negotiating tracks, reaffirming the shared commitment of both countries to conclude the negotiations in 2026, in line with the vision of the leaders,” the department of commerce said in a social media post.
Key exports from India to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods and chemicals, among others. The main imports include pulses, pearls and semi-precious stones, coal, fertiliser, paper and petroleum crude. India’s main services sector exports include telecommunications, computer and information services, and other business services.
As per the latest data, Canada is also home to over 4,25,000 Indian students and a strong Indian community. And the country also represents a market of 41.65 million people (2025) and a GDP of $2.34 trillion at purchasing power parity. In 2025-26, the two-way trade dipped 8.22 per cent to $7.95 billion ($4.67 billion exports and $3.28 billion imports) from $8.66 billion in 2024-25 ($4.22 billion exports and $4.44 billion imports).