Modi likely to visit Ottawa later this year, says Indian envoy 

India’s top diplomat in Ottawa says plans are underway for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to travel to Canada later this year after a free trade pact between the two countries is expected to be finalized. 

Modi last made the trip to Ottawa in 2015—when he met then-prime minister Stephen Harper—but visited Canada last year as an invited leader to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta. 

Indian High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik said that the upcoming visit would likely be timed for when Modi is in North America for the G20 summit in the United States in December, but dates have yet to be set.

“Prime Minister Modi last came in 2015, so he’s overdue to visit,” Patnaik said, remarking that it would be an opportunity for bilateral talks—touching on topics from defence to finance—but noted that it would involve the trade pact, as well. 

Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Modi to visit Canada in 2026 at the G7 summit in France in June, according to a PMO readout of their bilateral meeting. 

Both leaders have stated an objective of completing trade talks by the end of the year. Canada and India agreed to restart trade negotiations last November after they were suspended by Canada in 2023 amid allegations that Indian authorities were involved in the Surrey, B.C., killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The diplomatic chill has thawed since Carney came to power last year.

So far, there have been three rounds of negotiations between the two countries, with a fourth expected in September. 

Patnaik said the first offers have already been made, and that he expects negotiations to finish by October or November—a similar timeline he gave The Hill Times in June. 

He said that each country's objectives for the agreement have been identified, but noted asymmetry remains in the talks, and overcoming that will depend on “political will.” Patnaik previously told this newspaper that there is a need to “balance the imbalance” of the varying sizes of the Canadian and Indian economic markets and their projected growth. 

In the past, an area of concern for Canada has been a lack of movement among Indian negotiators on agricultural market access. 

Patnaik said that it will only affect two areas, which are yellow peas and lentils. He noted that yellow peas are only imported by India when domestic production of other pulses decline. 

“We’ve told Canada on yellow peas that we cannot have a system because we don’t need it,” he said, adding that, on lentils, India has to ensure its farmers get an adequate return on their crops for future planning. 

“We need to keep on importing [lentils], but on the years in which we have a good crop there may be a tariff issue,” he said, adding that there is “give and take” among the two negotiating sides.

Patnaik said India knows Canada’s sensitivities at the negotiation table and Canada knows India’s. 

“We’re trying to see how best we can put it all together where everyone’s concerns are met to the maximum possible,” he said. “We cannot meet it 100 per cent. Some [of your] red lines we know … some of our red lines you know.” 

India looking to Canada for icebreaker expertise 

Patnaik said there has been discussion for India to export additional uranium from Canada beyond what has already been agreed. 

During Carney’s visit to India this past winter, an agreement was reached on a $2.6-billion purchase of uranium over nine years.

“We’ve been telling Cameco and other companies that we are willing to negotiate to have more uranium from you,” Patnaik said, remarking that an additional purchase would be “similar if not more.” 

He also said there are active considerations for defence purchases from Canadian firms, spotlighting light armoured vehicles and icebreakers. 

“We are very keen on getting into the icebreaker thing. We are talking to [Canada] to see how we can get into it,” he said, but noted that this country is currently busy with its own production schedule for domestic use. 

The high commissioner said that India is increasingly interested in the Arctic, and that at “some stage” it will need to have a presence there. 

“We see the northern route as a very important route to reduce choke points,” he said.

nmoss@hilltimes.com

The Hill Times