Impact of PM Modi-Carney meeting: Canadian Foreign Minister says will soon complete trade deal with India
Toronto: Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on Monday that Canada and India will work quickly to advance a trade agreement after two years of strained relations. Anand's statement came after a meeting between Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G-20 summit in South Africa over the weekend. At the meeting, the two leaders agreed to resume negotiations for a new trade deal.
Anand said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that both leaders were determined to complete the work as quickly as possible. Carney will visit India early next year. Anand cited Carney's goal of doubling non-US trade over the next decade. Canada is one of the world's most trade-dependent countries, and more than 75 percent of Canada's exports go to the US. Most exports to the US are exempt from the USMCA trade agreement, but this agreement is due to be reviewed in 2026.
"This is a completely new approach to foreign policy that is responsive to the global economic environment we find ourselves in," Anand said. "There is a new government, a new foreign policy, a new prime minister and a new world order where countries are becoming more protectionist and this is a significant moment for Canada as a trading nation," he said. Relations between Canada and India became strained after Canadian police accused India of involvement in the murder of a Canadian Sikh activist near Vancouver in June 2023.
