Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Mumbai on February 28, 2026, embarking on a significant four-day official visit to India aimed at deepening bilateral trade, strategic, and economic ties between the two nations. The visit marks a major diplomatic reset in Canada-India relations following a period of turbulence.
Carney’s India visit comes at a crucial time when both countries are seeking to strengthen their partnership amid a rapidly shifting global geopolitical landscape. The agenda includes high-level meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, discussions on expanding bilateral trade, cooperation in critical technology, and strengthening people-to-people ties, particularly given the large Indian diaspora in Canada.
Trade has been a central focus of the visit. India and Canada have been working towards concluding the stalled Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), which aims to reduce tariffs and increase bilateral trade that currently stands at approximately $10 billion annually. Both sides see significant potential to triple this figure in the coming decade.
On the strategic front, Canada and India share common interests in a free and open Indo-Pacific, counter-terrorism cooperation, and cybersecurity. Carney is expected to announce new defence cooperation frameworks and intelligence sharing agreements during his visit.
The visit is also significant for India’s diaspora diplomacy. Canada is home to over 1.8 million people of Indian origin, making it one of the largest Indian diaspora communities globally. Business-to-business forums and cultural exchanges are planned as part of the delegation’s schedule in Mumbai and New Delhi.
Analysts view Carney’s India visit as a sign of Canada’s pivot towards deepening ties with the Global South and emerging economies, as traditional Western alliances face new pressures in the era of great power competition.