Mark Carney To Visit India From Feb 26 In First Trip After Taking Office, To Meet PM Modi, Push $70 Billion Trade Goal And Expand AI, Defence Ties

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to India, Australia and Japan from February 26 to March 7, his office announced on Monday. The visit will centre on strengthening cooperation in trade, energy, technology and defence, while opening up fresh opportunities for Canadian businesses and workers.

India Leg to Focus on Trade and Strategic Ties

Carney will begin his India leg in Mumbai before heading to New Delhi, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are expected to focus on expanding and elevating Canada-India ties through new partnerships in trade, energy, artificial intelligence (AI), talent and culture, and defence. Carney is also scheduled to interact with business leaders to explore investment prospects in Canada and encourage stronger links between companies in both countries. This will be Carney’s first visit to India since taking office, following Justin Trudeau.

“In a more divided and uncertain world, Canada’s new government is focused on what we can control. We are building a stronger, more independent, and more resilient economy. We are building our strength at home, diversifying our trade abroad, and attracting massive new international investment. To these ends, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced that he will travel to India, Australia, and Japan, from February 26 to March 7, 2026, to unlock new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses across trade, energy, technology, and defence,” Carney’s office said in a statement.

India continues to be a major trading partner for Canada. In 2024, it ranked as Canada’s seventh-largest goods and services trading partner, with two-way trade amounting to nearly $31 billion. At the 2025 G20 Leaders’ Summit, New Delhi and Ottawa agreed to formally begin negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which aims to more than double bilateral trade to $70 billion by 2030.

Australia Visit to Deepen Defence and Technology Cooperation

Following his India visit, Carney will head to Sydney and Canberra to meet Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Talks will focus on defence cooperation, maritime security, critical minerals, trade and advanced technologies, including AI. He will also deliver an address to both Houses of Australia’s Parliament, the first such speech by a Canadian Prime Minister in nearly two decades, and engage with business leaders and investors to attract fresh capital into Canada.

In Tokyo, Carney will meet Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to boost cooperation in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, critical minerals and food security. Discussions will also cover strengthening joint efforts in security and defence to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

“In a more uncertain world, Canada is focused on what we can control. We are diversifying our trade and attracting massive new investment to create new opportunities for our workers and businesses. We are forging new partnerships abroad to create greater certainty, security and prosperity at home,” the statement quoted Carney as saying.

(With inputs from ANI)

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