Analysis: New Snag Raises Questions Over Future Of India-Canada Ties

In the latest setback to already complicated relations, Canada's trade commission announced on its website that the trade mission to India had been postponed.

The mission was tied up with Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy and India was described as an "ideal destination" for a Team Canada Trade Mission. "Canada and India have a mutual interest in expanding our commercial relationship and growing people-to-people connections," Canada had said.The trade deal negotiations were also halted last month by Ottawa and no specifics were put forward. Before Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was heading to India for the G20 summit, he was asked in Singapore about the reason for pausing the trade negotiations. He cautiously said, "We know the negotiations around free trade are long and complex and I won't say any more," as reported by Canadian media.

India and Canada had first launched negotiations for a trade deal 13 years ago in 2010. After a lull of almost 5 years, the talks restarted in 2022 with renegotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Within a year, the talks seem to have once again hit a rough patch.