India-Canada Trade Deal Optimism

India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh K. Patnaik, has expressed optimism that India and Canada could finalize a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) within a year. This follows the formal relaunch of trade talks in November by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who agreed to begin negotiations on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg. The CEPA aims to double bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030 and is expected to cover goods, services, investments, agriculture, and digital commerce. Mark Carney is anticipated to visit India in early March, with a focus on trade and the signing of deals in uranium, energy, minerals, and Artificial Intelligence. Both India and Canada emphasize their complementary economies, with Canada as a major commodity exporter and India as a vast consumer market, which is expected to facilitate the agreement.