Canada Pushes to Fast-Track Free Trade Agreement Talks with India

• Canada has expressed a strong desire to expedite the formal launch of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with India.
• Canadian Minister Maninder Sidhu invited Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal for a visit next month to advance discussions.
• Previous FTA talks between the two nations were paused in 2023, but both countries are now committed to restarting negotiations.
• The two countries are currently finalizing the terms of reference (ToR) to formally begin the FTA negotiations.
• India's exports to Canada increased to USD 4.22 billion in 2024-25, while imports from Canada saw a slight decline.

Why It Matters: Canada is keen to quickly resume and finalize FTA negotiations with India after a previous pause.