Canada PM Mark Carney begins first official visit to India on Feb 26: What's on agenda?

Canadian PM Mark Carney with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi (Reuters photo)

• Canadian PM Mark Carney to visit India from Feb 27 to Mar 2
• Carney and Modi to hold talks on trade, energy, and education
• Visit seeks to improve India-Canada relations after tensions

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is embarking on his first-ever official visit to India between February 27 and March 2 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Thursday, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) shared the details of Carney’s visit, which will also include meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi besides other engagements.

The visit is largely aimed at imparting a new momentum to the bilateral ties that came under severe strain following a diplomatic row over the killing of a Khalistani separatist in 2023.

Mark Carney’s India visit: What’s on agenda?

As per the MEA, Carney will arrive in Mumbai on February 27. Over the next two days, he will participate in separate business engagements, interact with Indian and Canadian CEOs, industry and financial experts, innovators, educators, and Canadian Pension Funds based in India.

On March 1, the Canadian Prime Minister will travel to New Delhi. Delegation-level talks between the two Prime Ministers are scheduled for March 2 at Hyderabad House.

“Both leaders will review the progress achieved till date across diverse areas of the India–Canada Strategic Partnership, building on their earlier meetings in Kananaskis (June 2025) and Johannesburg (November 2025),” the MEA statement mentioned.

They will also take stock of ongoing cooperation in key pillars including trade and investment, energy, critical minerals, agriculture, education, research, and innovation, and people-to-people ties. Regional and global developments are also expected to figure in the discussions.

PM Modi and Carney will also attend the India–Canada CEOs Forum on March 2.

The visit comes at an important juncture in normalization of India-Canada bilateral relations, the MEA statement said. “The two Prime Ministers have earlier agreed to pursue a constructive and balanced partnership grounded in mutual respect for each other’s concerns and sensitivities, strong people-to-people ties, and growing economic complementarities. The forthcoming meeting between the leaders will provide an opportunity to reaffirm the positive momentum and shared vision of India and Canada in building a forward-looking partnership,” it added.