What to know
- Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a multi-billion dollar partnership with India, including a renewed push toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement expected to double trade to $70 billion by 2030.
- Major investments span artificial intelligence, space and education, new university partnerships, and expanded operations in Canada by HCL Technologies.
- A new Strategic Energy Partnership includes a $2.6-billion uranium supply deal between Cameco and India, cooperation on LNG, solar and hydrogen, and Canada’s planned entry into the International Solar Alliance.
Following a meeting in New Delhi, India, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new multi-billion dollar partnership with India with initiatives across technology, artificial intelligence, clean energy, talent, culture, defence, and more.
Carney’s visit to India was the first prime minister bilateral visit to the country since 2018, and it was marked by high praises by both countries’ leaders, a new trade agreement, and a series of initiatives that will strengthen their relationship.
According to Carney, the partnership between the two governments has been the most engaged in the last year than “in more than two decades combined.” The two leaders last met at the G7 meeting in Alberta and the G20 in Johannesburg, South Africa, both in 2025.
“This is not merely the renewal of a relationship, it is the expansion of a valued partnership, with new ambition, focus and foresight. A partnership between two confident countries charting our own course for the future,” Carney said.
Trade and commercial agreements
One of the most prominent parts of the deal is the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), an initiative to advance trade negotiations between the two countries.
According to the government, the agreement is expected to double two-way trade to $70 billion by 2030.
During the meeting in New Delhi, both governments signed the Terms of Reference that will guide the negotiations, which should be finalized by the end of the year.
In addition, the Canadian government says it has secured over 10 commercial agreements with India, valued at over $5.5 billion, which it says will create thousands of jobs and secure new opportunities for workers in Canada.
Talent and culture initiatives
According to Carney, Canada has deep commercial and cultural ties with India, with nearly two million Canadians being of Indian origin. In order to strengthen these ties, the two counties are launching a series of initiatives that the government says will create more cultural and educational opportunities for both.
The initiatives include a new Canada-India Talent and Innovation Strategy, which aims to deepen education collaboration by launching university partnerships, including:
- Thirteen new partnerships between Canadian and Indian universities;
- An innovation campus at Dalhousie University, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati, the Indian Institute of Science Education, and Research Tirupati
- A new University of Toronto and McGill University Centres of Excellence in India.
- More student and faculty exchange programs, including 300 funded Indian student researcher positions, including a $100-million investment from the University of Toronto for up to 200 fully-funded Indian students’ scholarships and outbound opportunities for Canadian students.
- $10-million in scholarships and fellowships under Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, which will support 85 Canadian graduate students and researchers to collaborate with Indian academics.
In addition, the governments have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate in cultural initiatives, including institutional exchanges in performing and visual arts, books, music, and other creative industries.
AI and technology
Monday’s announcement also included a series of initiatives to strengthen both countries’ collaboration in technology, especially in AI, aerospace, and quantum.
The two countries will be collaborating on Earth observations and will explore joint initiatives for space exploration and quantum technologies through an agreement between the Canadian Space Agency and the Indian Space Research Organisation.
To strengthen the cooperation for the development of AI, the governments have also signed a MOU under the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation Partnership.
Moreover, India’s third-largest IT services company, HCL Technologies, will be expanding its Canadian presence by increasing its workforce by 75 per cent, and creating thousands of jobs in Canada.
Energy generation partnerships
According to Carney, India is currently working toward strengthening their energy production, which has produced several research initiatives and advancements in clean energy.
Both countries have announced a new Strategic Energy Partnership, which will include efforts for LNG, LPG, uranium, solar, and hydrogen energy production, including:
- A $2.6-billion agreement between India and Saskatoon-based uranium fuel provider Cameco, in which the company will supply 22 million pounds of uranium to India for nuclear energy production between 2027 and 2035.
- Two MOUs to advance cooperation on critical minerals and energy sources.
- Collaboration for clean energy initiatives in solar, wind, biofuels, and hydropower.
- Engagement on LPG, which aims to lead to the conclusion of Canada’s first long-term LPG agreement with India.
Additionally, Canada also announced it intends to join the International Solar Alliance, which is a treaty-based organization first launched by India and France in 2015 to encourage global solar energy adoption. Moreover, the country also said it will be upgrading its status in the Global Biofuels Alliance, a G20 initiative that encourages the adoption of sustainable biofuels, to a full membership.
Defence and security
Both countries have also announced partnerships to increase defence cooperation and boost security and law enforcement, including:
- Increased defence cooperation, as well as identifying opportunities for naval activities.
- Advance efforts to combat illegal drug inflow and transnational crime.
The advancements in partnership between the two countries comes as Canada pushes to expand its relationship with various countries.
According to the government, it has now secured over 20 economic and security partnerships across the globe in under 10 months.
Carney also said he has extended an invitation to Modi to visit Canada, so the two countries can keep working on their partnership.
