India, Canada begin fourth round of CEPA talks, eye pact this year

India and Canada on Monday began the fourth round of negotiations for the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with the two sides aiming to conclude the talks by the end of this year, an official said.

The five-day negotiations, being held here from September 14 to 18, will cover key areas including trade in goods and services, rules of origin and technical barriers to trade, among other issues.

The third round of talks was held in Ottawa in July, the official said.

The negotiations assume significance as India and Canada have set a target of increasing bilateral trade to USD 50 billion by 2030.

However, two-way trade declined 8.22 per cent to USD 7.95 billion in 2025-26, from USD 8.66 billion in 2024-25.

India's exports to Canada stood at USD 4.67 billion in 2025-26, up from USD 4.22 billion a year earlier, while imports fell to USD 3.28 billion from USD 4.44 billion.

India's major exports to Canada include pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, seafood, cotton garments, electronic goods and chemicals.

Key imports from Canada include pulses, pearls and semi-precious stones, coal, fertilisers, paper and crude petroleum.

India's major services exports to Canada comprise telecommunications, computer and information services and other business services.

Canada is also home to more than 4.25 lakh Indian students and a large Indian community.