India, Canada to begin 5th round of CEPA talks tomorrow
What's the story
India and Canada will start the fifth round of negotiations for their proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) in Ottawa from tomorrow. The talks are expected to conclude by the end of this year, an official said. The five-day discussions will end on October 9. To note, the fourth round was held in India on September 18.
Progress update
Canada's trade minister to visit India
The CEPA talks are progressing rapidly, with both countries aiming to wrap up the discussions by year-end.
Canada's Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu will visit New Delhi later this month with a 300-member business delegation to further accelerate the process.
Sidhu and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal had met in Mumbai last month to assess the progress of these negotiations.
Trade agreement
What is CEPA?
The CEPA is a type of free trade agreement where two countries either reduce or remove customs duties on most goods traded between them.
It also eases movement norms for skilled professionals and encourages investments.
India and Canada first started CEPA negotiations in 2015, holding over half a dozen rounds from 2015-17 before the talks were put on hold.
Diplomatic challenges
Negotiations halted in 2023 due to strained bilateral ties
In March 2022, India and Canada re-launched negotiations for an interim agreement called the Early Progress Trade Agreement.
However, in 2023, Canada suspended talks again after bilateral relations soured over then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's claims of a possible Indian connection to Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing.
India had dismissed Trudeau's accusation as "absurd."
Renewed talks
Resumption of CEPA talks in November 2025
In November 2025, India and Canada decided to resume formal negotiations for the proposed free trade agreement.
The renewed interest in bilateral ties was sparked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's discussions with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney during the G7 summit in Canada's Kananaskis in June last year.