Urgency to revive stalled trade talks: Amid Trump tariff threat, Canadian PM Carney likely to visit India in March

New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is likely to visit India in the first week of March, amid trade tensions with the United States, India's High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik told Reuters.

Patnaik said the two countries are expected to sign a series of agreements during the visit, including on uranium supply, energy cooperation, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, education and culture. Formal negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are also expected to begin in March.

"I have a feeling in the first week of March is what we are looking at," Patnaik said. There has been no official announcement by the Canadian PM's office.

Ottawa is heavily dependent on the US market for its exports and with Trump threatening to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods over a deal with China, Carney's visit signals a strategic pivot towards trade diversification.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week, Carney warned that the "old rules-based order is over" and called on middle powers to build resilient coalitions to shape a fairer global system. He also urged countries to forge new partnerships amid growing protectionism.

Canada's energy minister Tim Hodgson, who is visiting India this week, said discussions would include nuclear cooperation, oil and gas, and critical minerals. He said Canada was open to supplying uranium under the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, provided international safeguards are respected.

"We know that India is a major nuclear country and has ambitious plans to expand its civilian nuclear energy programme," Hodgson said.

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Patnaik said both countries are moving with urgency to revive stalled trade talks, noting that India is also seeking new trade partnerships. He added that NSA Ajit Doval is scheduled to visit Ottawa next month as part of ongoing security and intelligence exchanges between the two countries.

Diplomatic relations between India and Canada had deteriorated in 2023 after Carney's predecessor Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a charge India denied. However, ties have seen a thaw since Carney took office, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the G7 summit last year at his invitation and several Canadian ministers travelling to India in the recent past.