Canadian PM Mark Carney Likely To Visit India In Early March, Mega Deal On Cards Amid Trump’s Tariffs

New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is slated to arrive in New Delhi in the first week of March, registering the first high‑level Canadian visit to India in over a decade. India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, told Reuters that the trip will be a decisive step in Canada’s push to broaden its trade and strategic footprint beyond the United States, and will feature a packed agenda of energy, mineral, nuclear and technology deals. The visit comes as both India and Canada race to forge new partnerships amid mounting global trade uncertainty and fresh warnings from US President Donald Trump about steep tariffs on Canada if it signs deals with China.

Dinesh Patnaik confirmed that Carney will ink a suite of agreements covering uranium supply, oil and gas, critical minerals, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, alongside programmes in education and culture. A centrepiece is a 10‑year uranium supply contract valued at roughly C$2.8 billion, which would cement Canada’s role as a key nuclear fuel provider to India. “We know that India is a major nuclear country and it has major plans to grow its civilian use of nuclear energy,” Canada’s Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said while in India, adding that any nuclear cooperation would respect international safeguards.

Further, beyond commerce, the trip signals a diplomatic reset after relations soured under former PM Justin Trudeau, who accused India of involvement in the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, allegations India has strongly denied. 

As per reports, formal negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) are set to begin in March, with Patnaik noting that a deal could be finalised within a year. He also revealed that India’s National Security Advisor will travel to Ottawa next month for intelligence‑sharing, while Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman are expected to visit Canada shortly. 

India-Canada New Trade Frontier

Reports suggested that Carney’s government is racing to diversify its export base, arguing that the global rules‑based order is no longer functioning, as the Canadian Prime Minister warned at Davos. His push to forge new coalitions of middle powers comes as Donald Trump threatens steep tariffs on Canada should it sign deals with China, adding urgency to Ottawa’s outreach to India. Indian High Commissioner Patnaik described the moment as one of “urgency” for both nations, each seeking a shield from “the vagaries of the international order".

It is being claimed that Hodgson’s discussions in New Delhi will cover not only nuclear fuel but also crude oil and LNG transactions, with a clear focus on critical minerals that India’s expanding clean‑tech sector craves. “India is a growing user of critical minerals that Canada can supply,” Hodgson noted, framing the partnership as mutually beneficial. The anticipated uranium deal, if finalised, would cement Canada’s role as a key supplier for India’s civilian nuclear expansion, while opening doors for Canadian firms in mining and energy infrastructure.

Alongside raw material deals, Mark Carney is expected to sign memoranda on artificial intelligence and quantum computing, sectors where both countries see strategic advantage. Education and cultural cooperation agreements will accompany the commercial packages, which are to strengthen people‑to‑people links and talent mobility. These elements round out a comprehensive package that blends hard‑economy interests with soft‑power engagement.

India-Canada Resetting Diplomatic Ties

The Nijjar case remains a thorn, with a Canadian court case against four accused ongoing. “If evidence comes out that there were Indians involved, India will take action,” Patnaik asserted, signalling New Delhi’s willingness to cooperate while defending its sovereignty. The upcoming security dialogue, led by India’s National Security Advisor (NSA), is intended to rebuild trust and establish regular intelligence‑sharing channels, a crucial step after the recent diplomatic chill.

The negotiators from both sides are set to reconvene in March after a 2‑year hiatus, with Dinesh Patnaik optimistic that a CEPA could be signed within 12 months. The agreement would cover goods, services, investment, agriculture, and digital trade, aiming to double bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030. The experts suggested that such a pact would give Canadian exporters preferential access to India’s burgeoning market, while providing Indian firms with a foothold in North America beyond the United States.

The analysts further asserted that with high‑level visits lined up, Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Nirmala Sitharaman, and the NSA all heading to Canada, both countries are signalling a comprehensive, multi‑track engagement. Carney’s March visit, therefore, is more than a ceremonial trip.