Canada’s Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu Heads Record‑Size Business Delegation to India

New Delhi – On Saturday, Indian‑born Canadian Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu announced that he’ll personally lead Canada’s biggest trade mission to India in over three decades. The delegation, slated for October 12‑17, will touch down in Mumbai and Bengaluru, two of the subcontinent’s bustling commercial hubs.

Roughly 300 Canadian firms – ranging from aerospace innovators to clean‑tech start‑ups, ICT specialists, life‑science researchers and agri‑food producers – will be part of the team. Their goal? To rub shoulders with Indian decision‑makers, meet key industry players and, hopefully, seal partnerships that generate good‑paying jobs back home.

“We’re heading to one of the world’s fastest‑growing markets with a clear purpose,” Sidhu said. “By matching Canada’s expertise in aerospace, agri‑food and clean technology with India’s soaring demand, we can diversify our trade and attract fresh investment. That’s how we’ll more than double our trade with India to $70 billion by 2030.”

Canada’s trade officials note this is the most sizable delegation the country has sent to India since the early 1990s. It also dovetails with Sidhu’s ongoing push to lock in a comprehensive economic partnership agreement by year‑end – a deal that could smooth tariffs, streamline regulations and open new avenues for collaboration.

Current figures paint an optimistic picture. In 2025, two‑way goods and services trade between the two nations topped $30.4 billion, with Canadian exports to India at $3.9 billion – led by vegetables, mineral fuels, oils and wood pulp. Imports from India, meanwhile, were dominated by precious stones, machinery and pharmaceuticals, amounting to $9.7 billion. Services trade added another $15.1 billion, driven largely by education‑related travel, which still makes up the biggest slice of Canada’s service exports.

Canada’s Indo‑Pacific Strategy, launched in 2022, underlines a broader ambition: to deepen security, trade, sustainability, people‑to‑people ties and regional engagement across the region. Sidhu’s mission is a tangible step toward that vision, aiming for shared prosperity and a more resilient supply chain for both countries.

All eyes will be on the outcomes of the Mumbai‑Bengaluru stopovers – from potential deals in green‑energy infrastructure to collaborations in biotech. If the delegation succeeds, it could set a new benchmark for Canada‑India economic ties in the years ahead.