"Where Africa Comes to Stay Informed."
US Edition
"Where Africa Comes to Stay Informed."
Ottawa believes it can wrap up talks with New Delhi on a comprehensive economic partnership agreement, or CEPA, before 2026 closes, Canada's international trade minister said Saturday.
The target is not new. Prime Minister Mark Carney set the end of the year as the goal for a free trade deal during his March visit to New Delhi.
"I'm feeling very, very optimistic and energetic that we can get it done in the coming months," Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu said in an interview while visiting Mumbai, India's financial hub.
Indian negotiators are due in Canada next month, Sidhu said, and the two countries' leaders are expected to cross paths at the G-20 summit in December.
Much of the discussion runs through the energy file. A Shell-led liquefied natural gas export terminal began operating in Canada last year, and five further projects sit at various stages of development.
"We're having conversations with Indian firms on how they can access those projects, but also how they can invest and secure supply in those projects," Sidhu said, offering no additional specifics.
The two governments also want to widen collaboration on nuclear power as India pursues a sharp increase in generating capacity.
"Canada has a long history in the nuclear industry, and I do see a lot of benefit for Canadian companies and industries to help build up a supply chain here in India," Sidhu said.
Several of India's largest conglomerates — among them Reliance Industries, Mahindra and Mahindra, and the JSW Group — are weighing stakes in Canadian critical mineral ventures as a hedge on supply, according to Sidhu, who did not elaborate.
With supply chains increasingly used as leverage, he said, firms are exploring co-investment as a way to protect themselves.
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