International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu is leading almost 300 Canadian business and export representatives to India, The Canadian Press reported through BNN Bloomberg on October 12, 2026. The federal government calls it Canada’s largest trade mission to the country in more than thirty years.
The planned itinerary includes Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Participating businesses span aerospace, clean technologies and energy transition, information and communications technology, life sciences and agri-food.
Sidhu is expected to meet Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal while advancing ongoing trade negotiations. Both governments are pursuing a free trade agreement by the end of the year, but that remains a negotiating objective rather than a completed deal.
The mission comes as Ottawa seeks more export opportunities outside the United States. Two-way goods and services trade with India totalled $30.4 billion in 2025, according to the report. The countries have set a target of $70 billion in annual bilateral trade by 2030.
For participating firms, the immediate task is to develop customer relationships and commercial opportunities. The delegation’s size and the governments’ trade targets do not, on their own, establish new signed contracts or the completion of a trade agreement.
