Canada PM Mark Carney Begins First Official Visit to India

Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, is arriving in India today for his first official visit to the country. The visit will span several days and is expected to focus on strengthening bilateral ties between the two nations. During his visit, Carney is scheduled to hold high-level talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 2 in New Delhi. The discussions will cover a wide range of areas including trade, energy, technology, artificial intelligence (AI), talent exchange, cultural cooperation, and defence, with an aim to elevate and expand India-Canada relations through new strategic partnerships. Notably, the Canadian Prime Minister’s itinerary does not include a visit to Punjab. He is expected to travel only to Mumbai and New Delhi. It is being speculated that this decision has been made to avoid any potential diplomatic sensitivities, particularly in the context of tensions between the two countries related to activities of Khalistani groups in Canada. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi had met Carney in November 2025 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in Johannesburg. In terms of economic ties, India was Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner in goods and services in 2024, with bilateral trade reaching approximately $30.8 billion. Carney’s India visit is part of a broader international tour from February 26 to March 7, 2026, which will also include visits to Australia and Japan.