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As mutual exchange of visits between trade missions of India and Canada has been set in motion with an official delegation of British Columbia arriving in India on Jan. 12, the Overseas Friends of India Canada – Ottawa (OFIC) has written a letter to strongly urge the Government of Canada to advance negotiations toward the conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two long-time trade partner nations.

Talks and negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement have been pending for more than a decade. Hopes of the two countries signing the CEPA got a boost with the recent exchange of ministerial and trade delegations between India and Canada.

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“We welcome and commend Global Affairs Canada’s recent positive re-engagement with India at this strategically important moment,” say Shiv Bhasker, President and Hemant Shah, President and Trade Director of Overseas Friends of India Canada – Ottawa (OFIC), respectively.

A trade delegation of the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce has completed its 11-day visit to India by visiting Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh.

The Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is also expected to lead a strong delegation to India early next month. In an endeavour to strengthen trade links with Asia, Mark Carney is also leaving for China this week. After China, he will visit Qatar before returning to the continent next month on his first official visit to India.

The mood is upbeat as Indian industry, trade and business houses await the arrival of the first official trade delegation from Canada. Led by the Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, and Jobs Minister and Olympian Ravi Kahlon, this is the first official trade commission from any Canadian province to visit Chandigarh, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to showcase its leadership and capabilities in sustainable forestry, clean energy and responsible mining. The Premier-led mission builds on the province’s Look West industrial and economic plan.

The mission will arrive on Jan. 12 and stay in India till Jan. 17. Both Premier David Eby and Ravi Kahlon will meet with government and business leaders in major centres of commerce and technology, as it will promote British Columbia’s businesses, critical minerals and sustainable wood products, supporting work to build a more independent economy and creating more good jobs for people in British Columbia.

“With unjustified tariffs from the U.S. impacting B.C. workers and businesses, it’s more important than ever to deepen strategic relationships with international partners to attract new investment and support good-paying jobs in British Columbia,” Premier Eby said. India is a key market for B.C. with enormous trade opportunities. This trade mission is about deepening our relationships, supporting good jobs in B.C. and strengthening our position as the economic engine of the new Canadian economy.”

As India moves toward becoming the world’s third-largest economy, the Premier will highlight opportunities for sustainable forestry, clean energy and responsible mining through new partnerships that are available only in B.C.

India is the world’s third-highest energy consumer and has a growing demand for clean technology and clean energy. British Columbia has both to offer.

The mission is part of Look West: Jobs and Prosperity for BC and Canada and aligns with the Look West goal of doubling exports to non-U.S. markets over 10 years.

“British Columbia has the highest share of exports to India of any province,” Kahlon said. “Building on our Look West plan, the trade mission to India will showcase B.C.’s strengths in clean energy, sustainable forestry, responsible mining and clean technology. By attracting investment and reducing our reliance on U.S. markets through diversified trade partnerships, we will create good jobs and prosperity for all British Columbians.”

“Diversifying trade and investment, securing supply chains, retaining customers and opening new markets have always been important, but are now more urgent due to the chaotic and unjustified tariffs from the U.S.,” Premier Eby said. “As we move forward, our government will continue to leverage B.C.’s strengths to create more opportunities for our businesses to export and attract investment, which means jobs, opportunity and prosperity for British Columbians.”

In 2024, B.C.-origin exports of goods to India amounted to $1.3 billion. In early 2023, the B.C. government launched the Trade Diversification Strategy to strengthen and expand the province’s trading base. The province benefits from a network of more than 50 trade and investment representatives across 14 key markets in North America, Europe and Asia. This network includes trade and investment representatives in India in Chandigarh, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru (Bangalore). With 18 operating mines and two smelters, B.C. produces or has the potential to produce at least 19 of the critical minerals on Canada’s list and the U.S. 2025 draft critical minerals list, including copper, germanium, nickel and rare-earth elements.

Within Canada, British Columbia is the second-largest producer of natural gas. If viewed independently, B.C. is the world’s 12th-largest natural gas producer, with substantial reserves that could allow the industry to expand further. Forestry Innovation Investment, B.C.’s market development agency for forest products, has been promoting B.C. wood species in India through the Canadian Wood brand.

Meanwhile, Overseas Friends of India and Canada said in a letter to the Canadian Minister for International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, that Canada and India share a deep and enduring economic relationship founded on trust, mutual respect, and long-term cooperation. Canada has consistently supported India’s development—beginning with CIDA-led initiatives in the late 1970s that promoted Canadian mining, drilling, and engineering expertise, and extending to landmark collaborations such as the Canadian feasibility study for the New Mumbai Sea Port (Nhava Sheva). Canada remained an active and reliable partner even during India’s pre-liberalisation period, as demonstrated by the 1985–86 Canadian trade mission and the widely recognised “Canada Week” trade fair in New Delhi.

Shiv Bhasker and Hemant Shah said in their letter to Maninder Sidhu that the Canadian strengths continue to add value across priority sectors, including mining, agricultural storage, grains and pulses, aerospace, helicopters, and aviation maintenance. These sectors align closely with India’s development priorities and present significant opportunities for Canadian firms.

Education remains a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship, dating back to Prime Minister Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri’s visit to Ottawa in the late 1960s and the establishment of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute. Since 2006, flight schools in Western Canada, including Winnipeg, have trained Indian commercial pilots who now serve India’s rapidly expanding aviation sector—an example of people-to-people ties translating into tangible economic benefit, Bhasker and Shah said in their letter.

“CEPA is more than a trade agreement; it is a strategic instrument to expand market access, strengthen supply-chain resilience, and secure Canada’s long-term economic presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies. The Indo-Canadian business community has played a critical role in sustaining bilateral trade for decades and will continue to serve as a vital bridge and driving force in this renewed partnership.

“OFIC therefore strongly recommends moving forward decisively with CEPA negotiations. We fully support the conclusion of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Canada and India and firmly believe it will deliver lasting economic and strategic benefits for both nations.

“OFIC stands ready and willing to assist the Government of Canada, Global Affairs Canada, and your office in any manner necessary to help make CEPA a reality, “ they said while concluding the letter.

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