Even as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Canadian counterpart Anita Anand in Ontario, Canada confirmed that its Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will visit India from Wednesday for opportunities to “advance” bilateral “trade and investment linkages”.
The two-way traffic also assumes significance at a time when India-US ties have dipped over 50% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Canada has also been facing the brunt of US tariffs.
Jaishankar met Anand on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in the Niagara region and said he looked forward to further rebuilding the “bilateral partnership”. Jaishankar also congratulated Anand on hosting the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting and appreciated the progress in implementation of the New Roadmap 2025.
Anand, in a post on X, said the two leaders discussed “cooperation on trade, energy, security, and people-to-people ties”.
Welcoming the meeting, the Canadian government said in a statement that the two ministers had “met for their third time this year — a reflection of momentum in the bilateral relationship”. It said Anand expressed her deepest condolences to Jaishankar for those who lost their lives in the Delhi blast and reiterated that “Canada stands with the people of India during this tragic time”.
The two ministers exchanged views on the ongoing law-enforcement dialogue between Canadian and Indian authorities, and discussed progress on the Canada-India road map, which “sets out a plan to enhance cooperation in key areas, including energy, trade and people-to-people ties,” a readout of the meeting stated.
Anand reiterated “Canada’s appreciation of India’s participation in G7 discussions this year”, recognising that “as the world’s fourth largest economy and with a relationship built on more than 75 years of diplomatic relations, India is an important partner for Canada”. The two ministers agreed to remain in touch as the two countries continue to implement the joint roadmap.
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Meanwhile, the Canadian High Commission in Delhi confirmed the visit of Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, to New Delhi from November 12 to 13. He will travel to Visakhapatnam on November 14 to attend the Confederation of Indian Industry Partnership Summit.
In a statement, Sidhu said, “This visit to India will reinforce Canada’s commitment to diversifying our trade relationships and attracting new investment. As one of the fastest-growing major economies, India offers significant opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers. Our commercial ties continue to expand — bilateral trade surpassed $30 billion in 2024 — and there is even greater potential ahead.”
