Modi to visit Canada on 11–12 December; trade deal in sight

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Canada on 11 and 12 December 2026, India's High Commission in Ottawa announced, with stops in Toronto and Ottawa. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed the dates and said both sides hope to conclude a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), a broad trade deal, by the end of the year.

It would be Modi's first bilateral visit to Canada since 2015, and the clearest sign yet of recovery from the collapse in relations in 2023 over the killing of a Sikh activist in British Columbia. He attended the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, in 2025.

Key points

• Dates: 11–12 December 2026, including Toronto and Ottawa, according to the Indian High Commission.
• Modi and Carney spoke by phone on Tuesday, 13 October; Modi called it a "warm and productive conversation".
• The leaders reaffirmed their aim to conclude CEPA "at the earliest opportunity", to help double two-way trade by 2030.
• Negotiations formally began in March 2026; Carney has said he hopes to finish before the G20 summit in mid-December.
• India's High Commissioner, Dinesh Patnaik, has said India hopes to sign the deal during the visit, according to reports.

What was announced

The Indian High Commission said the two leaders had agreed to work towards "concrete outcomes" in trade, energy, technology, security and people-to-people ties, Business Today reported. Carney, speaking in Calgary, said the trip would include Toronto and Ottawa and added, "We'll see if we can broaden it out."

On trade, Carney said: "We are making good progress in our trade negotiations with India." Canada and India formally launched CEPA talks in March 2026 and have committed to conclude them by the end of the year.

One Canadian outlet, the Western Standard, reported that India's foreign ministry later indicated the dates were still being discussed. National Diaries hasn't seen confirmation of that elsewhere; we'll update this story if the dates change.

The Modi–Carney call

The two leaders spoke on 13 October. Carney's office said they discussed geopolitical instability in the Indo-Pacific, partnerships in energy and agriculture, and security cooperation, and reaffirmed their commitment to concluding CEPA. Modi posted that he'd had a "warm and productive conversation".

Modi Canada visit: how relations recovered

Relations hit their lowest point in decades in 2023, after then prime minister Justin Trudeau said there were credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh activist, in British Columbia. India called the allegation "absurd". Both countries expelled diplomats, and trade talks were frozen.

Since Carney took office in 2025, the two governments have rebuilt ties step by step: restoring high commissioners, resuming trade talks, and Carney's own visit to India earlier this year, the first bilateral visit by a Canadian prime minister since 2018, according to Business Today.

The issues haven't vanished. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has said it has evidence allegedly linking Indian agents to violent acts in Canada, which India denies. Both governments have chosen to keep talking anyway.

Why it matters: Canada is home to one of the largest Indian diasporas in the world, and hundreds of thousands of Indian students, workers and families depend on smooth relations, from visa processing to consular services. A trade deal would also open markets for Canadian energy, potash and lentils in India, and for Indian services and manufacturing in Canada. For Canadian readers, the visit tests whether trade can move ahead while sensitive security questions remain unresolved.

Three years ago, the two countries were expelling each other's diplomats. Now they're planning a state visit around a trade deal. That's a fast turnaround in diplomacy, and the families who live between Brampton and Punjab will be watching whether it holds.